Just To Make You Happy
by probablyawful
Summary: Noah Puckerman totally didn't love Kurt Hummel. Totally not. He just wanted to make him happy, so he encouraged him to go spy on The Garglers. But when Kurt reveals a dark secret from his past, what kind of a twist will the story take? Rated M for sexual themes, language and non-con.
1. Chapter 1

Noah Puckerman's mom raised no fool. Sure, her son wasn't exactly the brightest of teenagers, and some would say he was just a simple delinquent. And yes, it was true that he hadn't attended a math class in three years, but still, he was no idiot. He had brains; he just didn't like using them all the time.

Yes, Noah Puckerman wasn't stupid. Far from it. Which explains how he had everything perfectly planned out when he advised the school's resident queer to go spy on the Garblers (or whatever their name was) that day in November 2010. Seriously, he had planned it out perfectly: At first he had no idea who Blaine Anderson was. If you mentioned that name, no bell would be ringing whatsoever.

However, he _had _heard of Dalton Academy, even before Mr. Schue announced that those were the ones they were supposed to be competing against at Sectionals. Seriously, you didn't even need to have the smarts to know that. Words went around fast in both Lima and Westerville, and his mother knew someone, who knew someone, who had a cousin who once sold a toothbrush to someone who was best friends with someone who attended Dalton Academy two years ago. And that was apparently enough for Puck to hear everything that was necessary to hear: It was an all-boys private school with a zero-tolerance policy. And that alone, screamed Kurt Hummel.

So Puck tried to figure out a way to inform Kurt about this valid opportunity. Puck wasn't living underneath a rock either; he knew how Karofsky had been treating Kurt lately, and he didn't like it. He would deny it if you questioned him about it, but he didn't like seeing Kurt change so slowly, but still so rapidly. He didn't like seeing him flinch so often, he didn't like the lifeless look his eyes had got, and he hated himself for the next thing that he hated, but he hated how his oh-so-sexy tight pants had become slightly too big for him due to weight loss.

In general, he missed the old Kurt Hummel. He wanted him back, and that reason alone was enough for Puck to take action. But how? He couldn't just walk up to Hummel one beautiful day and say: "Hey dude, I know about this school you could go to!"

That would be all kinds of wrong. No, he had to, for once in his lifetime, play his games smoothly and wisely. But mostly, he needed luck.

And luck came from clear sky the Saturday after Noah Puckerman had been let out of Juvie, when he was heading for the gym. He had his fight club on Wednesday, and he needed to practice.

That day Noah Puckerman found his source to Kurt Hummel's happiness, in the least expected of circumstances: Right before him, in front of a large punching bag, stood a really short, but muscular boy, who looked like he was about his own age. Normally, Puck wouldn't have noticed the guy. He probably wouldn't today either, if the boy wasn't so freakishly tiny. Seriously, he was even shorter than Hummel. Another thing about the boy that caught his attention was that the boy was actually doing the term "beating the living shit out of a punching bag" justice. He seemed like he actually knew what he was doing, seen as the punching bag actually moved remarkably at his punches.

"Nice punch you have there," Puck said in a joking manner as he approached the boy.

The boy looked up, and a small grin appeared on his lips. "Thanks." He reached out his hand. "Blaine Anderson."

"Fancy name for a kick-boxer," Puck joked, making the boy, Blaine, grin a little wider. "Call me Puck," he continued, as he shook the hand before him.

"Not really a kick-boxer," Blaine said a little out of nowhere, - "This is just a way for me to deal with everything."

Puck frowned slightly at the somewhat blunt remark. "Deal with what?" he prompted.

Blaine's turn to frown. "Don't really think you would want to know."

"Try me."

What was up with him today? Puck wasn't really one to listen to other people's problems, especially guys he met at the gym's problems. But today was for whatever reason different.

"It's nothing really," Blaine said, looking down before meeting his gaze again, - "Just been taking a lot of crap from people in the past."

"For what?"

"For being gay."

The answer came immediately, not allowing Puck to try to figure stuff out on his own.

"Wanna judge me a little?" Blaine asked.

Puck shrugged. "Nah, it's cool," he said, causing the shorter boy to wonder what planet he had ended up on, - "A friend of mine… or, a guy that I'm in Glee club with, is gay, so…" He shrugged again.

"Hold on," Blaine said, pulling off some kind of business-man-voice all of a sudden, - "_You're _in _Glee club?"_

"Dude, now you're the one judging me," Puck said, mock-offended.

"Sorry," Blaine chuckled.

"Look," Puck said, trying to keep a conversation going. He didn't really feel like boxing after all. There was something appealing about this guy. He felt like he needed to know more about him, - "I don't think I've seen you around here before. You don't live in Lima, do you?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, I live in Westerville. My parents live here, but I go to Dalton Academy now. It's better there than at home to be honest."

Puck's jaw fell a little. This was perfect. This was _exactly _what he had been looking for, without even knowing. Not that he was Mr. Matchmaker or anything, but even Helen Keller would've been able to see that this guy was Kurt Hummel's soulmate. No more, no less.

So therefore, when he, the next Monday returned to school, and figured New Directions were competing against The Garblers (or whatever), he took his shot at informing Kurt in the most discrete way he could think of, of his recently made discovery.

They had been set up boys vs. girls (Mr. Schue's oh-so-creative pedagogic method) for a competition, but for Kurt's sake the boys were supposed to sing songs that were more "girly", while the girls should sing more macho songs. Puck was totally not cool with that, but that wasn't the point. Still, he could also tell that Kurt was uncomfortable with the situation.

"Dude, why don't you go spy on the Garblers…"

"The Warblers," Kurt interrupted him, rolling his eyes. He had really nice eyes, by the way. For God's sake Puck, focus!

"Whatever," he blunted, before becoming serious again, - "You'd blend right in."

Kurt let out a somewhat defeated sigh. "Fine."

Puck didn't know why, but a couple of weeks after, right after Mr. Hummel and Mrs. Hudson's wedding to be exact, Kurt transferred to Dalton Academy, and Puck knew it was for the best, even though he for whatever reason desperately wanted to keep Kurt in school. Because of the team, of course. Not because he himself wanted to personally. No, that was not the reason.

And even though he had wanted Kurt to leave for his own safety, he offered to be like a Secret Service for him. Hell, the Glee club wouldn't be the same without him, even Puck could admit that out loud.

Later it would turn out Dalton Academy was the best place for Kurt after all, and Puck had done a good deed.

But if you asked him, Noah Puckerman would say that he didn't have a clue why he did this for Kurt. He didn't want anyone to question his badassness, after all, and giving people the knowledge that he was, purposely, helping Kurt Hummel out of his devastating circumstances, would definitely make people question not only his badassness, but his sexuality as well. And he was totally not gay.

So Noah Puckerman would say he didn't know why he did it, but in his heart he did know all too well. He was helping out, because he just wanted to make Kurt Hummel happy. Even if that meant throwing him into the arms of a preppy, out-of-the-closet, rich boy with every chance that he himself didn't have to get Kurt Hummel to love him.

And Puck totally didn't miss Kurt in the slightest. No way. That couldn't be proven.

**A/N: So what do you think? This is my first Glee Fanfiction ever, and I would love some constructive critique. Should I continue this? That is my question. Tell me if I should.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: OK, so don't hate me! I had a hard time writing this chapter, and I know I promised some of you that it would be done a week ago, but I couldn't make it. I'm sorry! Anyway; here it is, and I hope you like it. Oh! And one more thing: English isn't my mother tongue, so please be nice, OK? Love y'all! Constructive critique is highly appreciated, though.**

Fine, so he missed Kurt a little bit, what's the big deal of it all? He could get over that easily. He was Puckzilla for Christ's sake; he just had to figure out something else to do.

It had dawned on him that he and Kurt weren't really close. Of course, everyone would be capable of seeing that. Even Brittany didn't have a problem in that apartment. He knew as well, but he hadn't come to terms with it yet. Them not being close equaled them not seeing each other very often. Puck had to realize that, the sooner the better.

So, in order to get over Kurt, he had to find someone to help him get over him. And that someone happened to be Lauren Zizes. Hell, she would be easy, and besides, it was Valentine's, anything was possible. It was tough times. Almost everybody had dates on Valentine's, except for him… And Rachel… And Mercedes… And Kurt. Don't think of him! Santana didn't either, actually, but he couldn't cope with her right now. She was way too much responsibility. He needed someone that he could get fast and easily.

However, that was easier said than done. Lauren Zizes was anything but easy to get, and she never missed out on an opportunity to let him down. Hell, was he even doing this? How the hell did he become this person?

Kurt still stayed at home, in the Hudmel household. That wasn't the problem. Even though Dalton was located miles away, Kurt lived at home. Puck didn't really know how he did it, but he figured the boy just needed some connection to what was familiar to him, even though his life had been changed dramatically the last few months. For the most part, it had been changed for the better, Puck assumed.

The problem was, however, that Puck and Kurt weren't exactly friends. The only thing they could possibly have in common was Glee club. Hence, they didn't exactly hang out after school. Still, Puck tried to become closer to Finn again, just so he had a good excuse to see Hummel more than he would if he wasn't friends with Finn.

Also, Puck actually got together with Lauren, eventually, and those two got together on a date at Breadstix, where they were having a blast with pretty much the rest of the Glee club on Valentine's Day. However, the fact that Breadstix was the cheapest place in town and that all his friends were going there, wasn't the only reason Puck picked Breadstix that day.

The Warblers were performing there tonight, and with The Warblers, came Kurt Hummel. Gosh, he looked so freakishly adorable. That soft, gentle voice, those beautiful features. Hell, he shouldn't be thinking about him… Oh, whatever… He just looked so fucking doable, he hardly could contain himself.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lauren's voice stung through his conscience, and he realized he'd been caught staring. Lauren's voice wasn't exactly of the romantic kind either, and that nearly frightened him. She wasn't one you would like to end up in trouble with. Santana was one thing, but Lauren was, if possible, even scarier.

That was also the moment he realized he hadn't only been caught staring, but that The Warblers were done singing. Instinctively, Puck had to answer any other name than what really came to his mind, so he just blurted out what was second best: "Santana!"

Lauren shot him a death-glare, and said slowly: "Screw you."

And by that, she got up and left. He didn't really bother running after her. He had to see what Kurt was up to. He was sitting by a table talking to Mercedes, Rachel and… Blaine. Puck's first instinct was to join them, but that would be a little weird. Blaine probably wouldn't mind, but Kurt, Rachel and not to mention Mercedes would probably figure out something was wrong faster than you could say "breadsticks". He had to wait.

After having waited for an amount of time that lasted much longer than Puck was comfortable with, Kurt stood up and walked outside.

"I'm just gonna take some fresh air," he said politely, as he walked out.

Not that Puck was any good at seeing people's feelings or some shit, but he realized something was wrong with Kurt by the way he… He didn't really know, by his attitude? Was that what it was? Yes, that was what it was. His attitude. Right.

Kurt was heading for the door, and it was time for Puckzilla to strike.

He didn't even care about bringing his coat, even though it was freezing outside. He could suffer.

"'Sup Hummel?" he asked. Thankfully, he had left his cigarette package in his pocket, so he didn't seem totally lost. Like he had some other purpose of being there.

Kurt turned around, apparently surprised by the sudden approach, and even more surprised by who was approaching. "Noah?" he asked, as if he couldn't really believe what he was seeing.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Why did he never figure something smart, or at least original to say?

Luckily, Kurt just chuckled, and faced the ground a little bit, as if both being embarrassed and figuring what to say at once.

"Nah, I never wear anything out."

Puck took some time to figure out what he meant, but then he laughed. Not because it was particularly funny, but because he and Kurt freaking Hummel were having a fucking conversation underneath a starlit sky on fucking Valentine's Day and everything was fucking beautiful and what the hell was he on today?

They stood like that for a moment, both trying to figure out something to say, when Puck realized what he had come for.

"You OK, man?" he asked, surprising himself how casual he actually sounded as opposed to how he felt on the inside.

Kurt shrugged innocently, before shaking his head slowly. He gave a shy smile, before answering: "No, not quite."

Puck frowned a little, and asked: "Then, what's wrong?"

Kurt looked at him questioning, as if wondering if he really wanted to listen. Why did nobody believe he was interested in their problems? Oh, right. Because he was kind of a jerk (_No offense, _rang Rachel's voice in the back of his mind).

He felt the need to explain himself. "Look, if you wanna… talk or whatever, I can… You know, listen. I know things have been hard for you at McKinley and shit…"

"It's not that," Kurt interrupted, shaking his head, as if telling Puck to forget about it.

"Then what is it?" Puck asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Nothing," Kurt said, before changing the subject: "Besides, that stuff will kill you."

Puck rolled his eyes, but gave away a chuckle nonetheless. He ignored Kurt's comment, and asked him with as much sincerity as he could manage: "Seriously, dude. What's wrong?"

Kurt shook his head as if excusing himself or something, before he said: "It's silly…"

Puck expected having to force the boy into giving further explanations, but Kurt suddenly said: "I feel so stupid."

Another tiny chuckle was given by the smaller boy, however, this one sounded sad, almost broken. Puck couldn't help but put his sympathetic face on. Before pushing further, Kurt spoke:

"It's Blaine."

Puck's eyes darkened. "Did he hurt you?" Fuck, why had he gone all Mr. Instinctive Protectiveness on him all of a sudden? That was _so _not who he was.

Kurt gave him a skeptical look, but he quickly let it go. Hell, this wasn't the first time Puck had acted weird. Besides, not that he had spent much time with him, but his friends had told him, and he had somewhat experienced, that after Puck had come back from Juvie, he had almost been… kind? Sweet, even. Was Kurt about to experience that too?

"No," he said truthfully, - "He didn't hurt me… He's great actually…"

"Then what is it?" Puck prompted again, not wanting to give up on this for whatever weird reason.

"I just… I misunderstood everything. I thought that…" Kurt stopped himself, burying his face in his hands for a few seconds, before looking up at the taller boy again, - "It was a few days ago, Blaine told me he liked someone and wanted to… I don't know, let him know… And I thought the person he liked was me."

"And it wasn't?" Puck asked, hardly believing it. He might've been straight as a ruler… (Shut up, being attracted to one guy didn't make him gay… Did it?), but even he could see that Hummel had a lot of appeal on him.

Kurt shook his head. "No," he whispered, wiping his eyes for a moment. Puck wasn't really sure if he was actually crying, or if he just did it as a gesture just in case there were tears. Whatever it was, Puck suddenly had the urge to wrap the boy in his arms and just hold him… Woah! Where did that thought come from?

"That sucks," he said, and he immediately felt like an idiot. There were a thousand, more wordy (even for him) things he could've said, but everything that came out appeared to be 'that sucks'. Clever, Puck, clever.

Kurt nodded and then gave a light shrug that Puck found nothing short of adorable. "Oh well," he said, shaking his head, - "I should've predicted something like this would happen… With all the bad luck I've had lately, how could I possibly think that someone like Blaine could be interested in me?"

"Don't say that," Puck interrupted, not really thinking.

Kurt's eyes shot up instinctively. "Why?" he asked shortly, - "It's true."

Puck thought for a minute, looking for something to say, before he took one hesitant step closer to Kurt. What the hell was he doing?

"Kurt, he doesn't know what he's missing out on."

Kurt's eyes softened a bit, but he still didn't look like he could quite believe that Puck, Noah Puckerman, the boy who had been after him (and not in a good way) since elementary school, now stood here telling him he was… a catch or something?

Puck grinned slightly when he figured Kurt was blushing. "Hummel," he said, really meeting his eyes for the first time that evening, - "Seriously. He'll come along. If not, he's a total idiot."

Kurt gave a slight chuckle, and his cheeks turned even redder. They just stood like that for a while, enjoying each other's company, both feeling a little better than they did at the beginning of that day.

After that short break, it was Kurt's turn to step closer to Puck. If possible, he was even more hesitant, not entirely sure if nice!Puck was really happening yet.

Puck got lost in the countertenor's icy blue eyes for a second. God damn, the boy was beautiful. He had the most heavenly features Puck had ever seen, and the illumination by the street lights only served to complement those features even further.

"Thanks Puck," Kurt suddenly said, a sincere smile appearing on his lips, - "I have really misjudged you. You're a great guy, actually."

Puck could feel his own eyes widen a bit. Had Hummel really said that? But Puck had been an asshole to him forever.

"You're not bad yourself, Hummel," he grinned, and Kurt smiled a little wider, cocking his head to the right a little bit.

"I guess not," he joked.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Don't let the flatter get to your head, now."

He waited for a second, really taking in the smaller boy's beauty once more, before letting out a hand. "We're cool then?"

Kurt nodded and shook his hand. Really, all Puck wanted was to take Kurt in his arms and hold him forever and never let him go, but he couldn't do that. Instead he just smiled as he heard Kurt's voice say: "Yeah, we're cool."

Noah Puckerman and Kurt Hummel left Breadstix in a happy state that day. It didn't matter that Blaine maybe didn't love Kurt the way Kurt loved him, and to Puck it didn't really matter that Kurt would never feel for him the same way that he did.

It didn't matter. They were cool. Call that progress.


	3. Chapter 3

Noah Puckerman getting invited to a party wasn't that big of a deal. After all, he was the stud of McKinley High, and people usually invited him to parties because they were afraid he would beat them up if they didn't.

Truth was, however, Puck usually didn't care for losers' parties. They usually sucked and ended by midnight either way, because some sick old neighbor called the police or because the loser throwing the reportedly "best party ever" had parents who came home before first couple had made out.

Well, who cared? Most of the kids in Lima were losers either way. He would've denied it two years ago, but the only kids, who actually had some awesomeness to them, were the Glee kids and that was saying something.

Still, not all of the Glee kids had the badassness Puck was looking for in his circumstances, so when the news started running that Rachel Berry, out of all the people in this entire godforsaken world, had decided to throw a party, with alcohol, he was more than a little lamed out, though surprised. Seriously? Rachel? Throwing a party? Sure, he had gotten the girl to make out with him last year and to be honest, she was quite hot, but he couldn't for the life of him imagine _her _throwing a party. She was pretty much the biggest prude he had ever made out with!

Still, he contemplated going. He _definitely _contemplated going. He just had to get some facts straight before deciding whether or not he would just decide to have a major headache after a wild night with one of his cougars instead.

And Puck wasn't one to believe in secondary sources. He had to get the facts straight from the primary source, and in this case, as lame as it sounded, the primary source happened to be Rachel Berry.

"Hey Rach," he said as he approached the choir room, in which she sat practicing one or another probably totally sucky original song, for the second time that week. Seriously, "My Headband?" Even he could do better than that!

Rachel barely took her time to look at him, before she turned back to her oh-so-precious work. Puck got in front of the piano, facing her.

"So…," he began, pulling off his flirty look, - "Rumor has it you're throwing a party?"

Rachel looked up at him, a huge, genuine smile appearing on her face. She looked quite pleased with herself, proud like a five-year-old who'd just made a mediocre drawing. And then she opened her mouth: "As a matter of fact, I am, Noah. If you would like to come, the pleasure would be all mine, but I have to inform you that I have a very restricted mess policy in my house, meaning no sitting on anything, and we can only have two wine coolers per each, or else everything will get completely out of hand, and…"

That sounded totally lame, and all Puck could ask was: "Would you relax for like, two seconds?" He tried his best not to sound annoyed.

He didn't know why, but deep, deep, DEEP down inside he had to admit that he didn't want to disappoint the poor girl. She was already stepping out of her comfort zones enough, throwing a party for Finn to possibly at least start hanging out with her again.

Oh come on! He wasn't stupid! Everyone could see how she lusted for that boy; you wouldn't have to be Mr. Matchmaker to know that!

Rachel didn't look offended, but she actually sat back down, chewed on her lip, trying for the life of her not to speak as Puck started his cross-examination: "Where your dads at?"

He had to admit he sounded like Will Schuester in his most responsible state.

"They're gone for the weekend. I don't really know where, but they said they…"

"OK and here comes the word vomit!" Puck exclaimed, but he kept a grin that revealed the fact that he wasn't mad at her. Really, he wasn't.

"Sorry." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'll be quiet."

"I'd appreciate it," Puck grinned, and Rachel gave away a chuckle.

"So," Puck said, trying to sound as casual and non-intentional as possible, - "Who's coming?"

"Oh, the usual. Tina, Mike, Artie, Mercedes, Finn, Quinn told me she'd be there, and I heard Santana and Brittany are coming too."

She probably gave Puck a knowing look, as if she knew he would be super happy knowing they'd be there or something. Who the fuck cared about Santana and Brittany? OK, holy hell… Where did _that _come from?

"I don't know about Lauren," Rachel began, thinking as she chewed on her bottom lip some more, - "But I guess so, since you're gonna be there."

She gave him a wink. What did she think? That he was some sex shark looking for every girl in this entire… OK, don't answer that. It was pretty true. Or at least, it appeared very true to the world.

"Sam will be there!" Rachel exclaimed, as she accidentally forgot that the Glee club actually had gotten new members over the last months.

"And of course Kurt and Blaine!"

"I'm in," Puck said immediately, before realizing that was maybe a little too bluntly. At least Rachel stared at him dumbfounded.

"OK…," she said slowly, before regaining her senses again, - "Looking forward to see you there, then!"

Puck grinned, hoping his weird, apparently-constantly-changing personality went through to her unannounced. He doubted it though. The girl was many things, but she wasn't stupid.

Puck decided to leave her alone.

The weekend came and the party came with it, and as soon as Puck entered the door of the Berry household, he realized how lame this was gonna be. For one, Rachel was dressed like something from before Jesus reportedly walked the earth. Puck's mood lightened however, if only just for a little while, when he saw Kurt sitting on Rachel's floor, chatting with Blaine. Puck gave him a reassuring nod, which he returned, somewhat nervously or hesitant or whatever.

The night went by, and luckily Puck somewhere along the way managed convincing Rachel that breaking into her dads' liquor cabinet was a good idea.

He made sure not to have too many drinks himself though. Glancing discretely (or so he thought) over to the place in which Hummel was standing, he figured the boy wasn't drinking. Probably because he was going to be driving, Puck thought, amazing himself for a second how incredibly smart he was even when drinking. However, the thought of him standing right beside him, watching all the fucked up things he did when he was drunk, was a terrifying idea, so he'd better stay relatively sober for him at a party… Which wasn't sober at all, mind you.

After a couple of rounds of spin the bottle had come and gone (Puck being horrifyingly disappointed he and Kurt didn't get to kiss) Puck suddenly got an idea! He could walk up to Hummel and ask him to drive him home tonight. That was an excellent idea! And it wasn't giving away too much of anything. With determined, though a little clumsy (who cared? He was still hot) steps, he walked towards the spot in which Kurt was standing. As he moved in closer, even he, in the state that he was, could see that Kurt was feeling a little… sad?

"Hey, Kurty…," he whispered as he laid an arm around Kurt's shoulders.

Damn, where did that totally lame nickname come from?

Kurt frowned and flinched away slightly. Shit, this was so not a good move, but Puck's body wouldn't listen to Puck's brain at the moment.

"So it's Kurty now, not Hummel," Kurt said, sounding somehow like he was talking to a five-year-old.

"Gottaproblem?" Damn, he didn't mean to slur so much.

Kurt shrugged, lifting Puck's arm off him in the process. Puck decided to believe that wasn't intentional. The countertenor didn't answer his question.

"It's Blaine again, isn't it?" Puck said, a little too loud. Although, knowing Blaine was so drunk he was going all Jack Sparrow on the place, he probably hadn't noticed the slightest. Kurt obviously still thought it was the end of the world though.

"Will you be quiet for a second," he yelled-whispered. His yell-whispering was hella sexy by the way.

"Shorry… Shorry…," Puck said softly, while leaning on Kurt for some kind of weird comfort. He was stroking Kurt's hair in the process, realizing he had really soft hair. What a surprise. "I won't do it anymore," Puck continued, giving puppy-eyes all of a sudden. "Am I forgiven?"

He tried to pull off his usual charming grin, but he was afraid it looked like a retarded grimace instead right now.

Kurt couldn't hold back his chuckle. "Yes, you're forgiven," he said, his cheeks turning somewhat red.

Puck suddenly had the urge to touch Kurt's face for just a moment. He figured he should just go for it. He leaned forward a little, and, somewhat awkwardly, put two of his fingers on Kurt's flushed cheek. Kurt looked up, looking like a deer in headlights for a moment, before… leaning into the touch a little? Was that what he was doing? Puck decided that was it.

"You know," Puck said, cocking his head to the right, just to get a better look at the boy in front of him. "You are rrreally… rreally… rrrreaally beautiful."

Kurt's eyes widened even more, but this time Puck had a feeling it was more from disbelief than horror. "Puck, you're drunk," Kurt said, stating the complete obvious.

"Drrunk…?" Puck still hated his damn slurring, - "Only drunk on you, baby…"

Kurt rolled his eyes in an "Oh-my-god-this-guy-is-crazy"-way and Puck could feel him trying to walk away from under his arm. He stopped him by pulling him tighter.

"Y'know," he said, every single boundary that once existed within him now completely vanished, - "You are shuch a cool dude… You are shmart and funny and sho, sho, sho pretty…"

Puck thought Kurt looked slightly uncomfortable or confused to say the least, but he just had to let this out.

"Noah…," Kurt began very vaguely, - "You're straight. You know that, right?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Being attracted to you doeshn't make me gay, Kurt…"

"It sure as hell doesn't make you straight either," Kurt laughed. Puck loved his laugh. It was so thrilling, and happy, and beautiful, and everything that was good in this world.

"If that's the case," Puck said in his most seductive voice, leaning closer to the smaller boy. Intimidatingly close, he assumed, but he was too drunk to care, as usual, - "I guess I'm a little gay for you then…"

He was standing so close he literally could see the chills on Kurt's flawless skin. Holy crap, he thought, - what the fuck have I done? Had he just stood right there, on that very spot, flirting with Kurt Hummel? The thought made him want to run away, but he wasn't capable of running.

Why did he even end up beside Hummel anyways? Now he remembered! "On a more serious note…," he slurred, trying to look as serious as possible, - "I was just wondering…"

Kurt looked at him with a light of suspicion in his eyes, wondering what was next to come. A booty call, maybe. Would be quite likely.

"I was just wondering…," Puck began again, feeling more needy-girl-drunk than Rachel at the moment, and that was saying something, seeing how she was hanging all over Finn, - "If you would be even sweeter and more awesome than you already are, and give me a ride home tonight…"

He stopped before having spoiled the sentence, as he saw Kurt's face becoming even more confused. "No! I didn't mean it that way… I meant a ride in your car… Not on your…"

"I know!" Kurt's voice was rushed, and Puck couldn't really blame him, - "And yes. I will drive you home, but only because you are drunker than my aunt Mildred and if there's one thing I hate in this world it's people who drive when drunk." His voice was harsher now, as if he was hiding something.

No, Puck wasn't deep or anything, but Kurt was a pretty obvious, readable guy when he didn't care _too _much about hiding his feelings.

That was pretty much the first time Puck had ever heard Kurt say the word "hate", and he tried to pull himself together the best he could, just to figure out why he suddenly became so impulsive.

He turned and realized he had finally let Kurt out of his grip. He looked around the room, but the boy was nowhere inside. He walked up the stairs the best he could, and found Hummel sitting on the living room couch, staring blankly ahead of him. Puck's vision was a little blurry, but he was sure the boy's eyes were far too bright at the moment.

Quietly, as if not to wake up a sleeping baby, he sat down beside the boy, and laid an awkward arm around him. "Was I…?" he began, again not sure how to put his words, - "Was I too blunt with you?"

Kurt wiped at his eyes the same way he did that night at Breadstix on Valentine's Day, and then he gave away the same "lying-about-everything-being-OK" chuckle. "Yes," he said truthfully, - "you were."

He smiled as if joking, but Puck was too tipsy to notice. "Aw, I'm sorry…," he said, rubbing Kurt's back in a clumsy, but comforting manner.

Kurt shook his head, and gave away a weak smile. "It's not that, though."

Puck frowned slightly, and looked probably way too intensely into the boy's eyes. "What is it then?"

Kurt let out a heavy sigh, and said in a voice, not that much louder than a whisper: "It wasn't you Noah… As a matter of fact, you being brave enough, even though you are drunk and won't remember it tomorrow morning, to even touch me and speak to me like that, like I am a normal human being and not just some creature that you can catch the gay from, that meant…"

He stopped, not really knowing if he should say it. He decided to, for once, let his boundaries down. Hell, Puck would probably not remember this tomorrow anyway. "It meant something, you know?"

He looked at the other boy with a questioning expression, and Puck nodded hesitantly, trying to comprehend what Kurt had just said. It had meant something. Something he had done had meant something to him! That was pretty much the news of the year so far!

"Really?" was all Puck could get out, before going back to the primary question: "But then what are you so upset about?"

It sounded a little too questioning. As if he thought Hummel was whining over nothing. Crap, he had really not meant it to sound that way! Kurt was a really strong dude, actually. Oh, be it, Kurt didn't seem to bother anyway.

"It's my mom," he said silently.

Puck leaned back on the couch, relaxing a little. He knew Kurt's mom died when he was very little. For whatever reason, he suddenly felt that the "only one parent to raise them"-thing applied to both of them. Even though Puck's father wasn't dead, at least not that Puck knew, he had still left him and his family. For good. And he did it on purpose. Even though Kurt must've had it worse than him in every possible way in that department, he was mourning a parent too. He could relate.

Wow! Where did that freaking deepness come from? He clearly had it in him when he'd been drinking! He should drink more often… Or maybe not.

"What about her?" was the only thing he managed saying, pushing the boy a little further.

Another heavy sigh was given.

"She died in a car accident when I was very young. I was eight years old. The man who ki…"

He stopped himself from being too dramatic, - "The man who was driving the car that hit hers, had been drinking. I woke up the morning after, getting the news from my dad and the two policemen that were in our house."

"The man who killed her," Puck confirmed, - "The man who _killed_ _your mother_ had been drinking. He was an asshole. He drove. You have every right to blame him for everything."

Kurt gave Puck a look as if believing the other boy had gone insane. "Really?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah. I can't forgive my father for leaving my mom, Sarah and me behind, and you shouldn't feel obliged to forgive the guy who killed your mom." He stopped, and then he said: "I'm sorry, by the way. About your mom."

Kurt's face softened, and a smile appeared on his (oh-so-soft-looking) lips. "Thanks Noah," he smiled, his whispering voice still hanging there, - "And I'm sorry too… Your dad leaving you all and everything behind… It must've been hard."

Puck didn't really like being questioned about his feelings, but having Kurt caring for him this way, sort of made every bad feeling he had inside a little easier to cope with. Therefore he just nodded, and said: "Yeah, it was."

They sat on the couch for a little while, sharing a partly awkward and partly comfortable silence, before Puck rose up, letting his hands hit his lap in a defeated manner, realizing he was still not able to walk properly, as he said: " Come on, let's get home. This party won't turn out to be better than this anyway."

Kurt nodded, grabbed his keys, which he had placed wisely at the top of one of the Berrys' many book shelves, and walked outside with Puck slumping behind him.

When they approached and unlocked the car, Kurt's facial expression turned from satisfied to shocked, in a heartbeat: "Oh my god!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Puck asked, rubbing his forehead. His head was already starting to hurt, and he would like to go home, go to bed, and not puke in Kurt's car. That would be too freaking humiliating if he did that! He didn't want to think about it.

"I promised to take Blaine home if he had too many drinks, and judging by the way he was showing his tongue down Rachel's throat tonight, he definitely did."

Puck chuckled, before sitting down inside Kurt's car, resting his head against the window, and falling asleep for a few seconds…

… UNTIL a very, very, very drunken Blaine Anderson approached the backseat, and yelled loudly enough to wake up not only Lima, but the entirety of Ohio in general: "PUCKERMAN! IT'S SO, SO, SO COOL TO SEE YOU! WHERE YOU BEEN ALL NIGHT?"

"Uh…," was the only thing Puck could answer, - "I guess I was down in the basement with you…?"

"No, no, no, no…," Blaine said, shaking his head in a way that made it look more like heavy head-banging than a normal head-shaking, - "That's not what I was talking about… _You _were _upstairs _with _Kurt._ What did you guys do?"

"Dude! Chill!" Puck said determined, enjoying the moment of for once in his lifetime being the sane one in a situation, - "We were upstairs for like, five minutes, talking to each other."

"Oh," Blaine said, causing a satisfied grin to appear on Puck's chin. He had shut him up.

Kurt got into the driver's seat of his car, and pulled out of the Berry household. When they were about halfway to Puck's house, Blaine, who had been surprisingly quiet during the ride, (they actually thought he had fallen asleep), opened his mouth: "Kurt?"

Kurt let out a defeated sigh. "Yes?" he asked, as friendly as he possibly could.

"Why can't I be in the front?"

Puck gave away a chuckle, and Kurt gave him a look that said: It's not funny!

Kurt gave Blaine a glance in the mirror, and said: "See that beautiful house over there?" He pointed at a high-class, ginormous house in a very neat-looking, white neighborhood which they had just approached. This was _so_ not Lima Heights Adjacent and it was totally lame.

Blaine had to sit up a little straighter to see what Kurt was pointing at. "Yeah?"

Kurt nodded. "If you sit in the front, you will suddenly insist on driving the car, and even though I will tell you that you can't, you will probably try either way. And then we are gonna end up crashing our car into that beautiful house, and that would be a shame to ruin such a clever piece of architecture, don't you think?"

Blaine had to think about that for a few minutes, before he spoke up again: "But Kurt…?" he whined, - "It's not only the house that will be ruined, we will probably also be pretty ruined…"

Kurt rolled his eyes until the point where he could see his brain. "My point exactly, Blaine."

They didn't hear more from him during the ride, and when they finally reached the Puckerman household, he had finally fallen asleep.

Puck was far less drunk now, and he wasn't slurring nearly as much anymore. Another comfortably awkward silence appeared between the two boys, before Kurt said as politely and diplomatic as he could: "Thanks for a nice party."

Puck nodded, gave him a genuine smile, and nodded. It wasn't his ordinary badass-grin, but a real, Noah-kind-of smile. Kurt liked that smile. "Same," the mohawked boy replied

Another short break appeared between the two of them.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurt asked, hesitantly.

"Shoot."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Did you mean any of that stuff…? You know… That you said earlier?"

"You mean, before you walked upstairs?" Puck asked, surprising himself not feeling awkward about that situation. Kurt hadn't minded, had he?

Kurt nodded slowly. "Yeah?"

Now Puck gave away his Puckzilla-badass-grin again. He didn't really know why he did it, but sometimes people do the weirdest of things just because they are allowed to without having the universe turning on them. And what Noah Puckerman did right then and there, was leaning forward and kissing Kurt Hummel softly on the cheek.

"What do you think, Princess?" he whispered somewhat hoarsely, before getting out of his car, and walking with not-so-clumsy-anymore steps to his house.

Kurt sat for a while in his car outside Noah Puckerman's house. He wasn't really sure what had just happened. He knew that Noah and Puck were two very different people, but on the other hand; if Blaine could be straight when drunk, Puck could probably be gay when drunk.

But then again, Puck hadn't been drunk just a few minutes earlier, in his car, when he had kissed him. On the cheek, fair enough, but it was still a soft, sweet kiss that felt almost… Romantic?

He was about to slap himself. He couldn't be crushing on Puck! The person he _could _crush on, who at least was within his league and not straight, was Blaine. He should work on getting _that_ relationship to work, not wasting his time crushing on Puck.

Puck was straight. Strictly so. And he would probably not remember this tomorrow either way. Tomorrow, the night of Kurt Hummel's life would only be a faded memory.

But Puck remembered, and he didn't even try to hide the fact that he did. He and Kurt talked a lot more now, even though they still saw each other very rarely. They had each other's phone numbers, and they communicated a lot more over Facebook as well. To top it all off, Puck also had started visiting Finn on a more regular basis, and Kurt almost dared to believe it wasn't just to play video games with Finn. Sometimes he would invite Kurt to play along with them as well.

And when Blaine started questioning his sexuality that week – probably for the second time in his life – Puck was the one who met up with the hobbit at the gym and tried to knock some sense into him. Not physically, of course, only mentally. Puck was a badass in that department as well. He pretty much educated the guy on what drunkenness could do to you.

But Puck was an exception there, clearly. He wasn't only attracted to Kurt when he was drunk. Totally not. He didn't want to question his sexuality, and he sure as hell didn't want to put a label on it. He liked who he liked. End of story. And whom he liked at the moment, just randomly happened to be one Kurt Hummel.

And that was the reality of the situation.

**A/N: I'm sorry that Kurt was a little too rough or too quick to judge drunk drivers here, hope I didn't offend anyone. The thing is, my best friend's parents both lost their lives in a car accident, caused by drunk driving on the others' part, when she was four years old (with them in the accident). She is exactly the way Kurt is in this story about the issue. She claims there's no excuse whatsoever, and I can't really blame her for thinking so. So I thought Kurt's stance on the subject was nothing short of reliable.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Hope you like the story so far! I will try to finish a new chapter next week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! WARNING: This chapter is really, REALLY angsty, and it's a big AU from the "Sexy" episode. But there's also a whole lot of fluff going on in this chapter, so I hope you like it, even though some storylines might seem a little out of the blue. But it's me; I'm full of weird surprises… Even though they're not always of the good kind. I'm not gonna give away more now, so just sit back and en… And read!**

For whatever reason, Will Schuester entered the choir room one day, preaching about how «some of the Glee club members had been lacking experience in the sexual area» or some shit, and it didn't fail to creep Puck out.

For one, the kids were apparently not the only ones who had been lacking, because Schuester didn't really seem to know what he was doing either.

Second, if there was one person in this world, beside Santana, that had definitely not been lacking experience in that area, it was Puckzilla. Personally, he thought Schuester should be a little less generalizing and take out the ones he was referring to (*cough-Finn-cough-hot tub-cough*) and educate them alone. He wasn't gonna be sitting her taking this crap.

Just as he was about to head out, making up an excuse about his fight club or whatever, Holly Holliday approached the class room and it was apparent she would be taking a (rather huge) part in this sexual education as well, and Puck was more than down with that. He might've been head over heels for Hummel nowadays, but that didn't mean he didn't recognize a hot body of the female kind when he saw one. And Miss Holliday definitely wasn't short on advances in that department.

So Puck was mostly too occupied watching Miss Holliday perform "Do You Wanna Touch Me" to think of anything else that day, but the day after, he was approached by Lauren, who probably still, for whatever reason, thought they were dating. Why she thought that, seen as she knew he had been flirting with Kurt at Rachel's party, was beyond him. But then again, a little flirting didn't seem to be enough to make her lose her mind, oddly enough.

Even though she didn't mean much to him romantically, he somewhat admired her. She was a badass, he was a badass. They had similarities; hence, they got along well.

Anyway; he was approached by Lauren, who bluntly as ever, blurted out immediately: "I wanna make a sex tape."

Puck blinked twice, not really sure if this was actually happening. He was pretty sure it wasn't. He was dreaming, right?

"What?"

"I wanna make a sex tape," Lauren replied as if she believed he actually hadn't heard her, - "With you. My place, Friday night."

Puck's eyes got even wider. He had to make up something to do this Friday. Got it! Finn's place! Video games. And Kurt! … Hold that thought. If only he wasn't with Quinn. Finn, that is. That would be a total disaster.

"Uh… I think I promised Finn to hang out and play video games on Friday."

Damn, why did he have to be such a terrible liar?

Obviously, Lauren could see right through him as well. "You're lying," she stated.

"How did you know?" Puck questioned, not really bothering to deny it. It was pretty obvious.

"First, I can tell when you're lying, and second, I know for a fact Quinn is going over to Finn's place on Friday."

Crap! There goes the chance of getting a glimpse of Hummel. Unless Quinn was long last gone by Saturday or Sunday, of course. When did he become this obsessive person?

"So it's settled," Lauren said fiercely, - "My place. Friday. Sex tape."

She patted him friendly on the shoulder and walked away.

Puck was so not into the whole sex tape thing. Not because he couldn't imagine having sex with Lauren. Usually he would have sex with anything on two legs, but as of right now, he only had one person in mind, and that person happened to be Kurt Hummel.

Luckily he was saved by Miss Holliday later that week, when she informed them both that if they went through with this tape they were planning on making, they could both be arrested for child pornography, seen as they both were underage.

Puck didn't really know why he had suddenly decided to live in celibacy since he started getting feelings (there, he said it, feelings) for Kurt, but everything became official when he got those news from Miss Holliday about the child pornography thing.

Getting convicted of possession of child pornography only meant one thing: Prison. Juvie, quite possibly. And he was not going back there, not for the life of him. He would rather stay in Lima for the rest of his life, and that was saying something.

Therefore, he had an aneurism or something, and decided to join the celibacy club. It was pretty obvious he didn't belong there, and _he_ knew that as well, but at least this was a place where he wasn't _triggered _into having sex with anyone. Not that having sex in general would send him to Juvie, but it would most definitely not make Kurt believe he was changing.

Because yes, that was what he was hoping Kurt would eventually believe. That he was changing. He was willing to change just so he could get a chance in that department. And his sex shark reputation wouldn't be that difficult to change, would it?

The week went on, in all its sexiness, and Puck came over to Finn's place "just to play video games" on Saturday night. Seriously, when did his life become this lame?

As if his mother was right and there was some supernatural meaning behind everything, Finn suddenly rose up somewhere during the evening, and said: "Crap!"

Puck looked at him as if he had gone insane. "Explanation?" he prompted.

"I promised my mom I would buy mac & cheese today because I can't stand all that healthy stuff Kurt makes. I have to go get it or else I might… Die or something."

Puck looked at him in disbelief. "Whatever dude," he said, but he didn't sound upset. Rather the opposite, which made up a very weird combination of neutrality and happiness. Did that even exist?

"You coming? You could just stay here, you know, I'll be right back," Finn stated.

Stay right there? That sounded promising. As far as he was concerned, Kurt was in his room next door, and this would be the perfect opportunity for Puck to get to at least spend some time with the boy. And some time was definitely better than no time.

"Nah, you go. I'll watch the place for you."

"Cool," Finn said, and as he was out the door, Puck took the opportunity to approach Kurt's room.

Kurt Hummel had been lying on his bed trying to focus on his homework, when the door knocked. Assuming it was Finn or his dad or Carole or anyone, he told the knocker to come in.

What he didn't expect to see was the face of Noah Puckerman. He blushed slightly, thinking back to their weird night a week ago. "Hey," he said, a somewhat questioning expression forming on his face.

"'Sup?" Puck asked, as he entered the room and sat down on the bed beside Kurt.

The countertenor shrugged and smiled his melancholic smile. "I was about to ask you the same," he said politely.

Was it just Puck or did he seem rather tense today? He suddenly had the urge to put his hand on his back and tell him to relax a little, but he didn't.

"Nothing," Puck said, realizing Kurt probably craved for an explanation as to why he was in his room, - "Finn went to buy mac and cheese, and I decided to keep you company. Not really into going grocery shopping with Finn."

Kurt let out a laugh.

"Doing _homework_?" Puck asked, as if that was the weirdest thing in the universe, because who the fuck did their homework? And in the weekends, to top it all off?

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's really fun. You should try it sometime," he said sarcastically, - "No… Dalton is just so freaking strict when it comes to homework, so I really have no choice."

Puck nodded. "Sounds lame," he said.

Yet another of their oh-so-famous awkwardly comfortable silences occurred, before Puck asked: "So what have you been up to this week?"

He was sure he saw Kurt tense even more, and Puck wondered what the hell had caused that, but he still didn't ask. He would sometime during the evening, he promised himself.

Kurt let out a heavy sigh, and said: "_Blaine _decided to encourage my father into having "the talk" with me."

Puck laughed out loud at that. Wait… Was he serious? "

He _did_?" he asked, - _"_Who is he? Your mother?"

He immediately slapped himself, and impulsively put his hand on Kurt's shoulder. Yup, the boy was definitely tenser than he used to be. "Sorry," he said.

Kurt shrugged and shook his head. "It's OK."

"Must've been hella awkward, though," Puck said, not able to hold in a chuckle.

Kurt nodded hurriedly. "It was," he agreed shortly.

"How did that even start?"

And then Kurt let it all out, about Sue Sylvester encouraging The Warblers to get their sex appeal on, and Blaine taking that way too seriously, and it was awkward and humiliating because apparently "he had the sexual appeal and knowledge of a baby penguin".

Puck frowned. He couldn't really see that to be honest. Seriously, Kurt was one of the sexiest people he had ever met!

Kurt wasn't done though, but Puck knew that the last words were only spoken because Kurt was merely talking to himself, forgetting Puck was there for a moment: "I don't know, sex just makes me uncomfortable to even think of after…"

He immediately cut himself off, and Puck's eyes widened with the horrific realization he was in the process of making.

He had seen this kind of reaction before. In Juvie out of all places. It definitely wasn't normal. The tension that had probably been lying back there for some time, the rushed words, the "sex makes me uncomfortable"-comment. After something… After what? Holy crap! Someone had hurt him, and whomever that was, was going to pay.

His question was meant to be: After what? But instead he asked: "Kurt…? Who hurt you?"

He wasn't stupid or inexperienced. He had been to Juvie, for god's sake. He had seen some of the guys there.

Kurt's eyes widened with the same horror that Puck's had. "Nobody," he said in a voice even more hurried than before.

"You're lying," Puck said, - "I've been to Juvie. I know what this is about. Who was he?"

Kurt shook his head and buried it in his hands. "No one, forget I said anything. It's not important."

"The hell it is!" Puck exclaimed, but he regretted it when he caught a glimpse of Kurt's defeated reaction.

He reached out a hand to touch the boy's shoulder and thankfully he didn't flinch away.

"Kurt," he said, forcing the boy to look at him, - "Tell me. I won't tell anyone if that's what you're afraid of. But I'm not leaving until you tell me."

Kurt sighed deeply. "Just give me a moment," he said, his voice shaking.

"Take your time," Puck said, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders, letting him lean into the touch, - "I just want you to tell me who he was and what he did. That's all."

He started stroking the boy's arm in a comforting manner.

Kurt nodded. "OK," he whispered, giving Puck a small smile.

Puck got lost in the boy's face for a few seconds, and it suddenly dawned on him how much this boy had been hurt in his life. How could they? How could _he_? He had sure as hell been a part of it at some point, even if that was a long time ago.

Then Kurt started talking:

"It was an old costumer of my dad's. It was extremely suspicious really, because he always appeared to have some problem with his car. I'm sure my dad got suspicious as well, but he never said anything…"

He took a deep breath, before continuing: "He came back nearly every week, and I don't know. I just never liked the way he was looking at me, you know? Anyway, this was back in freshman year. One day he approached me. I was on my way home from school, and he asked me if I could show him where the nearest gas station was located."

Kurt let out an angry sigh and Puck pulled him tighter, resting his cheek on the boy's head.

"I don't know why I was so stupid!" Kurt exclaimed, his voice cracking just slightly, - "I knew who he was, and I sure as hell knew that _he _knew where the fucking gas station was. Still… I tried to explain it to him, and when he still faked that ignorance of his, he asked me to get in the car and show him."

He shook his head in disbelief. "And I went with him." His voice was barely above a whisper now.

Tears were falling freely from the boy's icy blue eyes, but Puck didn't interrupt. All he could do was holding the boy, and then he would take care of the rest when the story had been told.

"I went with him," Kurt repeated, - "I remember him trying to feel me up when we were in the car and I didn't do anything to stop him, how pathetic is that? When we came to the gas station, he just brought me out of the car. My body had just gone limp or something, I could hardly even think. I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn't believe it, you know? He brought me inside and down to the basement."

A soft sob escaped the boy, and Puck rocked him slightly as if he was a baby.

"Can I just tell you something before you go on?" Puck asked, not realizing how hoarse his voice had become all of a sudden.

Kurt nodded.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Puck's voice was a whisper too now, words flowing through Kurt's system, making him need to take a moment before really finding comprehension of what those words had really meant. It was a confirmation of what he had been so afraid of getting the answer to for far too long now.

He looked up at him. "What?" He just wanted… No, he _needed _to hear that again.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Puck repeated, - "Nothing. You were a kid for god's sake. You were fifteen years old! This was beyond your control. Way beyond."

Kurt shook his head, not really believing him yet. "You haven't even heard the entire story…"

"Doesn't matter," Puck said, his voice firm, - "You couldn't control this. And one more thing…"

Kurt looked at him, his eyes wide and bright. "What?" His voice was so vulnerable, at the point of breaking.

"You are so brave to talk about this," Puck said, his gaze never leaving Kurt's, he rubbed his finger over his cheek for a moment.

Kurt's features turned a little softer at that remark, and he tried to smile.

"Thank you," he whispered, and leaned closer to the other boy, who wrapped his arms around him more contently.

Kurt continued his story: "He brought me down to the basement, and told me to strip for him. I was too terrified not to submit…"

Puck let out a shaky breath, afraid of dealing with the realization of all of this. But he couldn't dwell on that now. He needed to be here for the boy beside him.

"It's OK," he assured, stroking the Kurt's back.

"It's not, but thanks even," Kurt said, letting out a chuckle that sounded more like a sob, - "So I did, and he walked up to me, grabbed me and bended me over a table that was nearby."

Puck didn't interrupt as Kurt finished his story:

"He started fondling me… Greedily, hungrily, roughly… As if he couldn't get enough."

He stopped. "Are you sure you wanna hear the rest, Noah?" he asked.

There was more? Shit. Still, Puck leaned closer, let out a sigh, and whispered: "No, to be honest I don't want to. But I need to. I need to know exactly what this bastard did to you."

"But this part will make you uncomfortable, I can tell…"

"Kurt," Puck said firmly, but softly, - "I'm already uncomfortable. A guy hurt you and I wanna beat this guy to death. And that will send me to Juvie, but it will be worth it. So now, go on!"

Kurt smiled a little wider, even though his eyes were devastated to say the least.

"He… He put his fingers inside me… Told me what a faggot I was and that I was supposed to love this… The thing was, I hadn't told anyone I was gay at the time, and I for whatever reason thought that I deserved it. But the worst part was," he choked on his words, before continuing, his voice shaking violently - "For whatever reason I can't comprehend, even though I was in so much pain, I could still feel something close to physical pleasure… I don't know why, but… You're wrong when you're saying this wasn't partly my fault, because it was…"

"No, it wasn't," Puck assured immediately, - "You can't control your body's reactions. They just happen. I'm dumb, but even I know that."

"But I came, Noah," Kurt said, obviously not really thinking, - "I got hard, and I came… The guy… He pushed into me, not preparing me at all, and I got hard and I came, even though I cried and begged him to stop over and over again…"

The words got lost in the boy's choked sobs, and Puck had a billion questions, but all he could do was hold the boy even tighter, and tell him that none of what had happened was his fault. Kurt was shaking with sobs in his arms, and every sob made his heart break into thousands of pieces, as cheesy as that might sound.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, not really bothering thinking about holding the pet names in, - "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that. It wasn't your fault."

They stayed like that for a while, and when Kurt's sobs had faded away slowly, Puck took the opportunity to ask: "Have you told anyone?"

Kurt shook his head. "No…," he said, - "And I don't attend to either. It's in the past. Also, the guy was caught a year later… He won't be out of prison before 60 years have passed and then he'll be dead and gone either way."

Puck flinched at the thought that the guy must've been about forty when he did those things to Kurt if Kurt had put his words right.

As a matter of fact, Puck was a little out of it at the moment. He had no words to say. All he could do was to hold Kurt still in his arms, as if that could protect him from the world.

He had no idea for how long the two of them sat there. It felt like several hours, but it could only have been about ten minutes. Kurt was the first one to speak up and surprisingly enough his voice didn't carry any hints of what he had just told him. It wasn't even rushed anymore:

"I don't need therapy or anything you know," he said, - "I'm fine. I've gotten through it on my own. It's just that this is the first time I have ever told anyone about it, and it hurts to go back there…"

There was a break.

"You see?" Kurt asked weakly, looking up at his… friend? … comforter? for assurance.

But Puck couldn't give him that assurance. He had no way of knowing, of being able to comprehend what the poor boy in his arms had had to endure. And he couldn't lie to him.

Cupping Kurt's left cheek in his palm; he looked into the boy's eyes and shook his head slowly. "No, I don't… I don't understand this situation; I have no way of knowing what you went through."

Kurt's eyes fell a little, but Puck lifted his chin gently, forcing him to look at him again.

"But I do know," he said, - "That you will be fine. Without anyone's help but your own probably, but please… Let me be here for you, alright? Know that you can lean on me whenever you need to. OK?"

Kurt smiled a completely genuine smile for the first time that evening, and he nodded. "OK," he confirmed.

As if they were in a silly movie where everything is perfectly timed, Puck's phone gave a buzz, and he checked it.

It was a message from Finn, and Puck suddenly realized that he had been grocery shopping for a rather long while now. Seriously, the dude was slow, that wasn't it, but now he was terrifyingly slow, even for Finn.

Kurt curled up against him, probably mostly on instinct, but Puck loved the smell of him, even though he partly smelled of salty tears along with his usual sweet sent. What had caused those tears to fall didn't make anything any better.

Still, he pulled the boy closer, kissing the top of his head without really thinking, happy Kurt didn't seem to mind. That's when he came to think of Finn's message! Damn, Kurt was so distracting sometimes. In a good way of course.

"_Sry dude. Ran in2 Quinn at the store. Went over 2 her place. Think I'm stayin the night. Sry. U can sleep at my place if u need 2."_

Puck would usually roll his eyes and let out a frustrated groan at Finn's entirely stupid stupidity, but as of right now, the idea of spending more time with Kurt, was probably the best solution ever made.

Therefore he probably shocked the living hell out of Finn by texting: "It's cool dude. See u Monday."

Kurt let out a small yawn which made Puck find him even more adorable, if that was even possible.

"What was that about?" he asked curiously.

"Your brother's staying the night at Quinn's place," he explained with a shrug.

Kurt frowned. "Oh," he said, -"That's pretty douche of him, leaving you hanging like that."

Puck grinned, but his eyes carried a hint of disbelief. "Not like I'm dating him, Hummel," he said in a joking matter, making Kurt giggle, - "But yeah, it kind of was. Still, means I get to spend more time with you, though."

He winked, and Kurt's eyes widened just slightly. Puck had really no idea where all the boundaries he once had, had gone.

They basically just spent the rest of the evening, lying on Kurt's bed. Kurt had his head resting on Puck's shoulder, and he was talking about all or nothing.

Puck could tell he was getting sleepy, because there was no way Kurt was this blabbering in a clear state. He loved it though. The boy had a nice voice. He could listen to him talk for days.

"I really didn't think you were this type of guy, Noah," Kurt admitted, - "You're sweet and funny and…" He paused, - "I don't know…," he said.

"What?" Puck prompted, wanting to know more.

Kurt sighed. "I was just…," he began, - "And you're totally gonna kill me or leave and never speak to me again because of this, but under different circumstances, you are definitely a guy I could see myself falling for now…"

There was a long pause where Puck just needed to take his time to comprehend everything Hummel had just said… No. He wasn't Hummel. He was Kurt. What Kurt had said? He had said that "under different circumstances" he could see himself falling for him. Puck.

He didn't know whether to be shouting with joy or burst out crying because of the fact that he had said "under different circumstances". He was facing the rejection he had feared all along, and it wasn't as good or as bad as he had expected it to be. It was totally different.

"Please say something?" Kurt said weakly, and Puck realized he had probably given the wrong impression.

"Under different circumstances?" he asked, - "What do you mean?"

Kurt let out a heavy sigh, and cuddled up closer, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I just mean," he said, - "That seen as I am used and damaged you would never want me… Not that you would anyway, you're straight, but that's the reason… That's all… I can't fall for anyone now…"

That was when Puck did it. He lifted Kurt's eyes to meet his, and gently planted a reassuring kiss on his lips.

"I want you, Kurt," he whispered, their faces were so close, - "I really do." The next words were spoken with all the sincerity Puck could possess, knowing Kurt needed to know he was telling the truth: "You're not used, you're not damaged. You're the most beautiful, _sexiest, _amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of even being in the same room with. And I want you. I want to love you, I want to hold you and kiss you when you're upset. I… I want to be your boyfriend. And I'll wait. I'll wait until you're ready…"

Kurt interrupted him, his voice was shaky now: "It wouldn't work," he said shortly, - "It would never work. I wouldn't be able to put out for you, and you would leave me, and we…"

Puck interrupted him with a new kiss, this one a little more passionate, and thankfully Kurt only leaned into the kiss.

"Kurt," Puck said, looking into his boy's (that was what he was, damn it!) eyes, and saying with the same sincerity he had before: "I would be OK if we _never _went any further than kissing. Hell, I'm crazy about you! You're not some booty call I wanna throw away. I actually wanna be with you. Isn't that saying something? It's me we're talking about."

Kurt had to giggle at this obviously, but then he gave Puck a look as if asking whether or not he was serious, and then, as if realization had just hit him, he shook his head and the smile completely fell from his face.

"How can you play with me like this?" he asked, moving his eyes from the mohawked boy again, - "Especially now?"

Puck's confusion was obvious, and to be quite honest, Kurt thought he looked a little hurt. For a moment, he wasn't able to resist the slight feeling of regret that appeared within him, but the thought of Puck _not _playing with him was far too surreal.

"Seriously!" Puck's reaction was impulsive, - "Does it look like I'm kidding here?"

Kurt forced himself to look at the boy again, really taking in what he saw. There was no denying Puck was hot. He had always thought that, even back when he was still tossing him into dumpsters as it would earn him a fortune. But then he had been too much of a jerk for Kurt to notice anything else about him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then he shut it again. He shook his head shyly. "No," he whispered, - "No, it doesn't."

Puck's face softened again and he reached out a somewhat clumsy hand to touch the younger boy's cheek. "Trust me, Kurt," he said, - "I'm not kidding."

Kurt nodded as if having got it right by now, but then he said: "I…," he hesitated before continuing, - "… would be lying if I said I wasn't into you."

Puck grinned. Obviously. He was Puckzilla for Christ's sake. Who _wouldn't be _into him?

"I just don't know how this… thing would work out between us."

Puck took a deep breath, trying to say something, but Kurt obviously wasn't quite finished with his speech.

"I mean," he stated, - "You have always been very straight. Like, really, _really _super straight. You have a badass reputation to uphold, and don't worry. I won't tell anyone about this."

"You're right," Puck interrupted, - "I'm too much of a coward to deserve you. There, I said it. I have a badass reputation to uphold, but both you and I know that when high school is done, and despite what you might possibly think, I will actually graduate this year, that badass reputation will be gone."

He pulled himself together before speaking the next words. "I want you, Kurt. Please. I'm totally into you, and I can tell same goes for you… About me, I mean."

Kurt blushed a little at this, and he nodded instantly. "I am, Noah," he said truthfully, - "I am, I just… I don't know how this is gonna turn out."

"No one does," Puck said, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder, - "That's the point about relationships. That's what make them so exciting."

Kurt had to laugh. "And how many serious relationships have you ever been in, Noah?" he asked, a bit of a challenge resting in his voice.

"More than you," Puck pointed out, and Kurt let out a defeated sigh.

"You're right," he said, - "You're right, we should try this."

Puck's eyes widened, and for a second he reminded Kurt of a kid in a candy shop.

"Really?"

Kurt smiled wider now, the sadness all gone from his eyes. He leaned in hesitantly to give Puck a soft peck on the lips.

"Really," he confirmed.

Kurt let out a shaky sigh, before continuing: "And Noah?"

"Hmm?" Puck had already gotten comfortable on the bed, laying all down on the pillows. Kurt had a rather large bed, especially for such a small guy.

"You can sleep in my bed tonight."

Puck looked at him. "You sure? But how about your dad? How about… you?"

Kurt shrugged. "I have a lock. And I'll be fine. You can stay in my bed. With me."

His eyes carried no hints of doubt, and Puck was somewhat touched (yes, he admitted it! there was an awful lot of admitting going around here tonight) that Kurt put that much trust in him.

"OK," he said.

As Kurt eventually fell asleep in Puck's arms that night, Puck knew that he would have a hard time dealing with all of this. He knew that. He knew it would be a challenge, and that wasn't Kurt's fault. That fault was entirely his own. He had to start becoming honest with himself, and as soon as graduation was over. But for now, he and Kurt had agreed on a secret relationship. He knew that, even though they hadn't really discussed it with words.

But as he looked down on the sleeping form beside him, Puck for the first time in in his life, was truly determined to work hard on something.

Call that progress.

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm cruel, ain't I? I didn't necessarily mean to make poor, poor Kurt go through all of that… I love him so much! So I just had to make up for it by having Puck **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the lovely reviews so far. So glad all of you haven't abandoned me. Here comes another chapter! This one is… I don't really know how to describe it. It's really sweet and romantic. Lots of fluff and some deeper meaning stuff going around in this chapter! So this is somehow an AU from "Original Song". Not my best chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it!**

The morning after Puck woke up feeling disoriented. At first he couldn't comprehend where he was, but when he caught glimpse of the sleeping form, still in his arms; all his thoughts from yesterday came floating back to him. The good ones and the bad ones.

He was gonna kill him. He was gonna kill whoever hurt his… And then he remembered that too! As weird as it might sound, Kurt Hummel was now his boyfriend. He had to roll his eyes and chuckle quietly at this. It was too surreal.

He wrapped his arms firmer around his boyfriend, and gave a light kiss to his temple, careful not to wake him up. It was Sunday after all. They didn't have school, and Kurt wasn't exactly a church-goer, if he knew him right.

He felt the boy twist in his arms. Not uncomfortably, just in an "about to wake up"-way. Very slowly, he noticed Kurt's eyelids flutter open, and he was met with a couple of icy blue eyes, which now had a new light in them Puck hadn't seen the night before. How could his eyes be so alive this early in the morning? He was too amazing to be true.

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a soft: "Hey."

Puck reached out to touch his cheek, surprising himself how gentle he actually was with this boy. As if he was really made of porcelain and would break if he didn't treat him properly.

Kurt leaned into the touch a little, as Puck replied: "Hey."

Kurt stretched awkwardly and sat up in bed, getting ready to stand up and get dressed, but a couple of strong arms grabbed him playfully from behind, and a rough voice whispered in his ear: "And where exactly do you think you're going?"

Kurt let out a light squeal as he was pulled back into Puck's arms. "I was gonna get dres…"

He didn't get to say more, before Puck pulled him into a long-lasting, passionate kiss, catching Kurt off guard for a few minutes. Kurt had to give in. He lay back down and joined Puck on the pillows; their faces a little too close to go unnoticed.

Puck took in the beauty of the boy beside him. He was utterly and inwardly flawless, that boy. What the hell had he done to deserve him? He had been a total jerk most of his life.

"What the fuck did I do to deserve you?" he asked, letting his mind speak for him.

Kurt giggled and shook his head in disbelief. "All you needed to do was open up a little," he said truthfully, pecking Puck on the lips, - "And then I was all yours."

Puck shook his head, still not quite able to believe this was happening.

A long break appeared between the two, and for once it was completely comfortable and not awkward in the least. Kurt took a look at his boyfriend, who looked like he was thinking hard about something.

"What is it?" Kurt asked curiously.

Puck shook himself out of his thoughts, before deciding to be honest. "So…," he said, propping himself up on his elbow, looking down at his boyfriend, - "This is, like, a secret romance, right? Secret relationship, whatever? … Look, it's got nothing to do with you, it's totally me, I'm…"

Kurt interrupted him: "Puck," he said, - "Secret or open doesn't matter to me."

Puck frowned. "Really?"

Kurt laughed. "Yes, really. For as long as I've got you…" He thought for a moment before stating: "Besides, it is not a big deal seeing as I'm still at Dalton."

Puck let out a somewhat annoyed sigh, remembering it was him who encouraged Kurt to get introduced to Dalton Academy and the Warblers in the first place.

"Oh man!" he said, making Kurt smile a little at how annoyed he seemed at that fact. It was pretty cute, actually.

"Don't take it the wrong way, baby, but is there really no way you'll be able to come back?"

Kurt shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable all of a sudden, before answering: "Well… Not unless Karofsky gets an aneurism and decides to stop bullying me."

Puck's eyes darkened. Karofsky. He had almost forgotten about him in the heat of this fantastic weekend. Not that he spent much time thinking about Karofsky, but he crossed his mind once in a while when he was missing Kurt at school. After all, team mate or not, Karofsky was all to blame for Kurt's transfer.

He let out a somewhat angry growl, and said: "What happened between the two of you anyway? You just seemed so totally out of it a couple of days after having been spying on the Garblers."

"Warblers," Kurt replied with a sly smile, making Puck laugh, and say in a mocking tone: "Whatever?"

Kurt shrugged his shoulders, hesitating before saying: "I could've told you, but then I would have to kill you."

Puck shook his head. "I don't believe that. Seriously? What did he do? He didn't hit you, did he? Because if he did I'm gonna give him a hard time!"

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "No, he didn't hit me," he said flatly, praying to whatever he didn't believe in that Puck wouldn't push. Of course his prayers weren't heard.

"Then what did he do?" Puck prompted.

There was a break. Kurt didn't really want to answer, but he knew that if he didn't, Puck would start pushing anyway, so he said:

"Promise you won't tell anyone."

He was looking into Puck's eyes for assurance now, and Puck got instantly worried, looking back on the last time Kurt had told him not to tell anyone about something.

Still, he just looked into his boyfriend's beautiful eyes, and said: "I won't tell anyone. Promise. I just want you to tell me."

Kurt nodded. "He…," he began, - "I was walking down the hallway one day, and he pushed me, as he uses to, and I got so pissed off I ran after him, which I obviously shouldn't have done. We yelled at each other for a couple of seconds, before he…" he said the next words so quietly Puck almost didn't hear them: "Before he kissed me."

But Puck heard. He heard all too well. "He what?" he prompted, looking so confused it almost made Kurt laugh.

"What the fuck is wrong with that guy?" Puck looked like an exclamation point, - "Jesus, Kurt, no wonder you left. After what you've been through…"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I was afraid of that for a second, that's basically why I left."

Puck let out a defeated growl, but he calmed down quickly. "Look baby," he said, trying to pull off a completely diplomatic and calm tone, even though it was so not his style, - "I know this sounds weird coming from me, I'm supposed to be on your side all the time, and I am totally on your side, but you gotta believe me when I'm saying this… Karofsky, he is an asshole, but he's not that evil. He won't try to do what that… What that monster did to you, OK?"

Kurt looked at him, and nodded. "I believe you," he said, - "but I still can't go back to being tormented every single day… I mean, he kissed me. That reminded me of what happened in freshman year. I know I shouldn't let it and I actually believe Karofsky is a good person, he's just really confused, but…"

Puck interrupted him. "No, none of this is your fault, that's not what I meant."

Yet again, he leaned in to stroke the smaller boy's cheek. He took a deep breath before asking: "Babe, do you wanna go back to McKinley?"

Kurt nodded vaguely. "Of course," he said, - "If it wasn't for Karofsky, I would be back in a heartbeat. I miss you all so much."

He gave a small, sweet smile, and Puck's face softened. He leaned in to plant a kiss on the boy's lips, before saying: "Then I will do my best to get him the fuck out of your way."

Kurt gave a chuckle and looked at him as if challenging him: "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

Puck thought for a while before a grin appeared on his lips. "I don't know. But I will."

And right at that moment, that was enough for Kurt.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Going back to Dalton Academy was hard. Especially now that Kurt knew he had Puck at McKinley. He loved the boy, and that was the problem, because even though he trusted Puck, and believed that he had changed, he knew there were a lot at McKinley that he could risk losing Puck to.

Blaine was nice. He was charming, he was great, but the feeling wasn't there. That feeling that something was completely right, as it should be. Thankfully, there was no misunderstanding there. The two of them were good friends, who were completely honest with one another. None of them wanted to be more than friends.

Kurt didn't even tell Blaine his little secret. Little? It was as gigantic as Mount Everest, but Kurt didn't really mind being in a secret relationship with Puck so far. Sure, it gave Puck easier access for cheating, but it was still so exciting, so thrilling, he didn't really give that thought much attention.

By lunch break Kurt got a message from Puck:

"_Hey gorgeous ;)"_

Kurt gave a content little sigh, causing Blaine to frown from the other side of the table. "What was that about?" he asked curiously.

Kurt snapped out of his thoughts. "Nothing," he said a little too quickly.

That was the worst part of it. The lying part. He really hated lying to Blaine, who had put all his trust in him. Hell, he had even told Blaine about Karofsky.

"OK," Blaine said, giving him a skeptical look. He definitely didn't believe him. Thankfully, he didn't push for more answers.

Kurt was tempted to give away a relieved sigh, but didn't dare to. Blaine wasn't stupid. Instead he just replied to the message:

"_Hey :)"_

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Being back at McKinley, still having Kurt at Dalton was harder for Puck than he had thought in the first place. He was sure Kurt would never cheat on him, but that Blaine kid was a bit intimidating, even though he would never admit that out loud. Actually, there were a lot of things Puck wouldn't want to admit out loud nowadays, and he secretly wondered if Kurt was truly totally cool with that. The guy was so confident it made Puck wonder if he was human and it angered him that he couldn't be as brave as he was.

But they all had flaws, and Puck knew that Kurt was very understanding of this. There was no way he would cheat on him with Blaine.

So that wasn't really the hardest part. The hardest part was not to punch Karofsky in the face every time he ran into him in the hallway. It was Monday and they all had football practice, but Puck decided to skip that. He couldn't really join in there without beating the shit out of Karofsky anyway.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Regionals was coming up, and a couple of days before it was finally there, Puck and Kurt sat contently on Puck's bed, talking about what each other's teams were up to. It was not like any of them were spying. There was no more time to reconsider their schedule anyway.

"We're doing Raise Your Glass by Pink as a group number, and then Blaine and I will sing Candles by Hey Monday as a duet," Kurt dished, immediately registering Puck's frown at the mention of Blaine's name.

"Ooo," Kurt teased, giving Puck a flirtatious look, - "Am I detecting a little jealousy?"

His smile was adorable enough to instantly put a smile on Puck's face as well.

"Oh, you detect a lot of jealousy," he said, trying to be serious, but failing horribly, making Kurt laugh.

"Nothing to be afraid of. It's not like Blaine has what you've got anyway."

Puck gave Kurt a look as if he wanted to know more now. "Is that so?" he teased, - "Then what doesn't he have?"

"Oh no, I'm not going there!" Kurt nearly exclaimed, - "Won't let you become too full of yourself."

Puck couldn't answer. As extremely, awkwardly cheesy as it sounded, he was too busy taking in his boyfriend's encouraging beauty. Instinctively he put his arm around Kurt's waist and pulled him closer, not unlike the way he had that night they got together.

Kurt had gotten used to that by know, knowing it meant his boyfriend just wanted to cuddle the shit out of him. And he was in no position not to let him. He snuggled closely, leaning against his boyfriend for comfort. Puck wrapped his arms around his waist.

They just laid there in silence for a few moments before Puck asked Kurt: "Wanna go to Breadstix?"

Kurt hesitated a bit. He tried not to show how surprised he was by the comment. Going to Breadstix wasn't exactly a big deal for neither of them, but having Puck and Kurt going to Breadstix together would only serve to make people wonder if Puckerman really was practicing for his coming out-speech.

"Seriously?" Kurt asked. He probably could have come up with something much cleverer if he had the time, but he didn't bother.

"Seriously," Puck said, by his voice alone making Kurt turn and look him in the eyes.

"But Noah," Kurt said, his voice almost a whisper, - "People…"

"OK, first," Puck said firmly, but it was apparent he wasn't annoyed - "You can call me Puck if you want to, it's sort of become my name, and second, I don't care. I gotta step out of my comfort zones sooner than later. For god's sake, you taught me that!"

Kurt gave a sweet smile and pecked Puck slightly on the lips, before nodding. "OK," he said, and got up from the bed.

**PKPK**

Seated at Breadstix, the secret couple didn't say much to each other. It was a completely comfortable silence settled between them, around them. Both of them were lost in their own little worlds, but their eyes were occasionally locked on each other.

Instantly, obviously without any conscience thought behind the action whatsoever, Puck reached out and touched Kurt's arm slightly. Kurt was wearing a shirt with sleeves that exposed the lower half of his arms.

By the touch, he shivered a little, and locked eyes with his boyfriend, who didn't take his arm away. Leaning in, Kurt whispered nervously: "Sure you wanna do this Puck, people might see…"

"I don't give a shit about people," Puck whispered, his voice so sexy it made Kurt shiver a little more violently. Puck noticed the reactions of his boyfriend's body and they didn't fail to turn him on.

"You're quite hot, you know that?" Puck asked, taking his arm away, only to lightly touch his hand instead, keeping his sexy voice present.

Kurt took in a deep breath, comprehending what his boyfriend had just said, before shaking his head in disbelief. "Yeah right."

"Right," Puck confirmed instantly, - "Come on, you're not the self-conscious type, might as well admit it if it's true. I've no problem admitting I'm hot."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's because it's pretty true." He gave a chuckle.

"Oh, really?" Puck sounded mock-impressed, - "So it's not because I'm a selfish asshole?" He seemed quite satisfied by that realization. "That's what you would've said a month ago."

Kurt took another deep breath. "That's because one month ago I had no idea how caring you really are."

Puck scoffed. "Caring? First time anyone's said since my sister was, I don't know, born."

"Really Puck," Kurt said, now caressing his boyfriends hands, making him look straight at him, realizing there were only old people no one knew in the restaurant anyway, - "I never really got to thank you properly for caring so much about me, about my…" he hesitated, - "situation."

The last word was spoken a little more whispered than the previous ones.

Puck grabbed Kurt's hands tighter, resisting with all his might the urge to bring them to his lips.

"What else should I have done?" he asked casually.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know," he said, - "You could chose to forget about it, tell me I probably wanted it, or just think I probably wanted it and walk away… But you didn't."

"I couldn't do that," Puck said simply, - "I'm not stupid. That guy, that… monster deserves to get his miserable private parts, which can't do anything but fuck minors, removed with a blunt kitchen knife."

He had brought his eyes away from his boyfriend's to their hands while talking, occasionally tightening the grip on the smaller boy's hands as his voice became more aggressive. When he was done, he looked up again, expecting a somewhat shocked or scared expression on his boyfriend's face. He didn't find that. He only found an impressed and somewhat touched expression.

"Sorry," he prompted.

Kurt shook his head. "No," he said, - "You're right. You just put words to what I have been thinking but not dared to be conscious about for the past years."

He chewed a bit on his lower lip, thinking, before saying: "You know, if he against all odds turns 100 years old, you and I are gonna stand outside his prison and make sure he won't see the sun ever again."

Puck was impressed as well now. He had always seen his boyfriend as a very delicate, diplomatic, forgiving person, but this side of him was new, and it didn't fail to turn him on.

"Wow," he said, licking his lips, not failing to reveal how enchanted he was by the boy in front of him, - "Didn't think you had it in you, Hummel."

"I have my moments," Kurt smiled.

**PKPKPK**

The New Directions were doing original songs for Regionals. Puck hadn't told Kurt anything about that, not because he was afraid his boyfriend would reveal the secret to The Garblers… Warblers! Shit, he had to learn to get names straight.

The reason he hadn't told was because he had wanted it to be a surprise. A pleasant surprise. Sure, Rachel's mediocre ballad about her and Finn's collapsed but in her mind still alive relationship was just so-so. But "Loser like Me" would secure them not only Regionals, but Kurt's still growing love for them, he was sure of it.

Yes, he was a little pissed at his fellow Glee-mates for not having reached out to Kurt enough before he left for Dalton Academy, even though deep, deep, DEEP down inside he knew he had no right to feel that way.

First of all, he had been the one to convince Kurt to leave in the first place, and second, he hadn't exactly stood up himself. What had he done actually? He had stood there, afraid of having to go back to Juvie, and then he had admired Kurt distantly.

That was what he had done. So really, he had no reason to be mad at his friends, but still, it was hard not to. At least, he had stood up to Karofsky and the other football guys in the locker room in the aftermath of Kurt's exit. Twice, actually. The first time caused him a beating and being locked inside a public toilet for twenty-four hours. That was pretty heroic, right?

The second time was during the McKinley Superbowl remake, when he had come up with a pretty epic speech about that they were "so afraid of being called geeks or losers or gay that they settled for being nothing". That was pretty epic, come to think of it.

He wondered what Kurt would think of that? Maybe one day when he was slightly drunk or something he would tell him. Or he could brag about it, either way. They'd see.

The show was starting in half an hour and Puck still had a moment to talk to his boyfriend before it started. He found him sitting at the bottom of a stairway. He looked a little out of place to say the least.

"Hey," he said a little softer than he used to, - "The matter?"

Kurt looked up, obviously pleased by what he saw. "Hey," he said, his voice a little hesitant, - "I'm so nervous I think I'm gonna throw up any second. I've never sung a solo or a duet in front of an audience before…"

Puck found the entire deal nothing short of adorable, and he sat down beside Kurt, putting his arm around his shoulder, making sure no one was there to see.

"Come on, you'll do fine. I've heard you sing, you're amazing."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm gonna mess up. Big time. I know it. Just like…" He thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time he messed up badly during a performance, and decided to go with the easy explanation: - "Just like when Rachel and I did "Defying Gravity" last year."

"Shut up," Puck said friendly, - "We both know you blew that note on purpose."

Kurt looked at him surprised, never in his life he would've guessed Puck knew about that. He considered asking how the hell he knew that but he let it down. Sometimes Puck just knew stuff about him.

"You're gonna kill it, Kurt," Puck said, caressing the smaller boy's neck, making him lean into the touch, reminding him of a kitten, - "I can't remember a time where you messed up a note unwillingly, and I know that you can't either."

Kurt had to laugh at this. "OK," he whispered, allowing his head to rest on his boyfriend's shoulder for a minute, - "I can do this."

Puck took a deep breath, no longer able to resist planting a soft kiss to the top of Kurt's head. "You can," he confirmed, - "You can do anything, Kurt."

**PKPKPKPK**

Later that night it was confirmed that yes, Kurt Hummel could probably do anything. He and Blaine sang "Candles" by Hey Monday perfectly, and if it hadn't been a break up song that they were singing, Puck would have felt just a little jealous.

But he didn't. Because he knew that while Blaine was a great friend and somehow a mentor to Kurt, he would never have his heart like Puck did.

Also, Kurt seemed indeed pleasantly surprised at "Losers like me". While the song carried some sense of a Sue Sylvester anti-tribute, it was, at least from Puck's point of view, also a Kurt Hummel tribute. A tribute to what he had been through, or better, to what he had been so strong to go through on his own.

But only Puck knew that Kurt had the ability of getting through way worse stuff than that on his own. His admiration for the boy was everlasting. He wished that he one day could be as strong and brave as he was.

Maybe he could work on that someday. But for now, the only thing he needed to work on was getting Kurt back to McKinley without it seeming too obvious that the two of them were secretly dating.

And that would take some doing.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: OK guys, here's the next chapter! First I need to say that I have no clue about Ohio geography, mainly because I don't even live in America, so if anyone has a clue about Ohio geography and I suck really badly in that department, I am sorry. Also, I slowly but surely remove Blaine from this story now, because he won't have a function either way. So he won't come with Kurt to the Night of Neglect, he won't serenade him on the stairs when Kurt transfers back, he won't go to prom with him, he won't transfer to McKinley and so forth and so forth. Damn, I get a little sad or emotional now…! Whatever; let's just say that Kurt and Blaine remain good friends, but we won't see more of Blaine in this story. Don't get me wrong! I really like Blaine but there shouldn't be any Blaine in a proper Puckurt Fanfiction. **

**Also, I watched the winter finale, and I am a mess right now, not even joking. For those of you who thought otherwise, I like Karofsky and the episode was extremely moving. It had me thinking of all the suicide victims due to homophobic bullying out there. I wrote most of this chapter before I had watched the episode, so I had to do a lot of editing on this after I watched it. I was supposed to have Karofsky in this and make something Puckurt-centric of the hallway scene between Karofsky, Kurt, Blaine and Santana in "Night of Neglect", but I didn't because I don't want to portray Karofsky negatively at the moment. It wouldn't be appropriate, so I will just have the apology scene in "Prom Queen" instead. I am not saying one should never write him in a negative light ever again, because everything's legal in Fanfiction world, but I couldn't see myself doing it right now.**

**So there! Enjoy!**

Taffy! Out of all the lame, Mary Sue-ish stuff Mr. Schue had tried to make them do over the past two years… this must've been the and most lame and insane idea Puck had ever heard. He liked the dude, that wasn't it. Mr. Schue was pretty much the only teacher Puck could actually stand, but he had some really ridiculous ideas sometimes.

Seriously, how had he even managed to come up with that idea? How did he think selling taffy so they could afford going to Nationals would work? The Glee club consisted of the biggest losers of the entire school. When they had been going door to door from classroom to classroom Christmas caroling, people had yelled that they'd rather be learning and had started hating the holiday because of them.

Shit escalated further when the so-called "Brainiacs" all of a sudden decided that oh! They needed money too! For some lame trip to Detroit where they would be participating in some lame, nerdy competition. Why the hell should they bother? It wasn't their fault that the school sucked and that the school board at some time back in 1739 or something had decided to spend _all _the money they ever had on the most exclusive auditorium of a public school ever instead of spending them on things that were somewhat more necessary.

Oh yeah, he was Jewish, he knew _something_ about economy. And speaking of stereotypes! Mr. Schue's next quote blew it: Apparently he could understand why Tina, Mike and Artie where a part of "The Brainiacs", but he couldn't for the life of him comprehend why Brittany was.

"Why? Because Mike and Tina are Asian and Artie wears glasses?" Puck prompted, his usual not-able-to-contain-himself-tone present in his voice.

Mr. Schue had no proper answer for that. Got him! OK, fine, the teacher might have had a point, but that didn't change Puck's encouraging satisfaction of being able to dumbfound him even if it was just for a second.

As you may or may not understand by now, Puck was in a very bad mood that day, and that was all thanks to one specific Gargler at Dalton Academy, whom Puck would have loved to spend every minute of every day with, but couldn't, because some specific football player named Dave Karofsky had fucked up everything. Yes, he was still under the belief that Karofsky really wasn't a bad guy, but he really messed up his plans, that was for sure.

He needed to get Kurt back to McKinley one way or another! He just had no clue whatsoever how he was supposed to do that.

Later that week, Mr. Schue came up with another, slightly better idea for them to raise money for the Brainiacs; he suggested nothing short of a so-called "Night of Neglect". Puck had no clue what he meant, but according to Rachel it meant performing songs by neglected artists. Apparently they were gonna invite Sunshine Corazon, the incredibly talented chick from Vocal Adrenaline whom Rachel was retarded enough to send to a crack house, making her feel unwelcome in the New Directions, to sing as well. Apparently, she had hundreds of Twitter followers and could get all of them to come.

The week went by slowly. Very, very, very, not to mention very slowly, before the day before the big day was finally there. Normally, Puck wasn't the kind of person to care for stupid performance show stuff like that, especially not when the only purpose they again tortured themselves by performing in front of an entire audience, was because of three nerds and a blonde who sometimes happened to find herself troubled by remembering how old she was.

But Puck was looking forward to the "Night of Neglect", because of one person, and one person only. Kurt Hummel. Of course he had said yes when he was asked to come. As shocking as it may sound, it wasn't Puck that invited him in the first place this time. Someone actually had the balls to invite him to something besides him, Rachel and Mercedes. This time Santana, out of all people, had been the one to invite him.

He had no clue why whatsoever. He couldn't even think of one good reason why Santana would even bother letting her mind drift to Kurt's existence, but he had a vague feeling she was onto something as well. Something that had to do with getting Kurt back to McKinley. One could wonder what she would gain from getting him back. Seriously. There was the prom queen reason, of course, but no one would vote her from prom queen for getting the resident queer back to where he belonged.

There also was the chance of winning Nationals. That was a good, yet very vague point. Sure, Kurt was ultra-talented and they definitely had a better shot at winning Nationals with him back on the team, but even if they won Nationals, Puck doubted most of the school would even care. It would make the New Directions feel better about themselves, but physically, out here in the real world, they would still be the same losers they were when they left for New York.

So even though Santana wasn't even consciously sure why she was the one inviting Kurt to the Night of Neglect, Puck knew Santana very well. Actually, he might have been one of the people who knew her the best at this school, second after Brittany of course. And he knew that the reason why she invited Kurt was because she wanted him back, and there were only one reason why she wanted him back, and Puck didn't really know why but he had a feeling that reason revolved around Brittany. Santana and Brittany had definitely been going at it for a while now.

Seriously, he'd had sex with both of them at the same time, and many times they had paid way more attention to each other than any of them did to him. He ended up having to finish himself off, while they were too busy scissoring. Not cool, no matter how much of a hot sight it had been.

The day before the Night of Neglect, Puck decided to surprise his boyfriend by showing up outside his school and just take him for a ride. They hadn't met since Regionals, even though they had definitely kept in touch. Puck felt a little sad but the past week had been a blur, and Kurt had had a lot of schoolwork to do.

Now, that explained Puck's bad mood over the past week!

So he showed up outside Dalton Academy at three-fifteen sharp. He had put his radio on and it was playing some weird up-beat short-lived tune that wouldn't be remembered in one week. He didn't bother to turn it off. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He knew Kurt had probably driven to school today, but hell, then he would get up freakishly early on Monday just to drive him to school. Wow, was he whipped or what?

He sat there for a few more minutes. Damn, it was hard pointing out anyone in this ridiculous crowd of uniformed people. They all looked like twins. Like a bunch of twins, whatever that is.

But of course he could point out his boyfriend. He stepped out of the car when he saw him coming out of the ginormous building that was supposed to be a school.

"Kurt!" he shouted as casually as he could.

Kurt reacted instantly, and looked across the field, towards the parking lot. Puck swore he could see his smile widen even from his distance. The boy was coming towards him, practically running.

Before Puck could comprehend what had happened, he was surrounded by the embrace of the most beautiful, wonderful person he had ever met. Kurt kissed his neck softly, his arms wrapped around him. Puck wrapped his arms around his torso, holding him still.

"Nice to see you too," Puck grinned, and Kurt finally put his arms down.

"Puck…," he said, apparently, a little off guard, - "What are you doing here?"

Puck shrugged. "Intending to spend some time with my boyfriend, if he doesn't mind?"

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "Of course not… I just didn't expect you to show up… I mean, screw that! What did you have in mind?"

Now it was Puck's time to be caught off guard by his boyfriend's ever-developing adorableness (was that even a word?). He had to pull himself together for a few moments before saying: "I don't know, thought I just could take you out for a ride."

Kurt smiled at this and shrugged. "Sounds… amazing, really. Where did you plan on going?"

Puck frowned. "You don't have your car here?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, my dad works late on Fridays, so he drove me. Guess we could use the bonding times that we have."

Puck nodded, and just simply said the only word he could come up with without sounding totally lame: "Cool."

They got into Puck's car and drove out of the parking lot, when Kurt said: "You still didn't answer my question."

"What question?" Puck prompted.

Kurt giggled and rolled his eyes at the same time and it was so adorable Puck had to contain himself not to crash them both into a three due to his eyes' priority of Kurt instead of the road.

"I asked where you were planning on going," Kurt repeated and Puck almost slapped his forehead. He totally remembered that, now that it was brought up. He thought. Whatever?

"Oh," he laughed, - "I don't know… Thought we could just drive somewhere or nowhere."

He rubbed Kurt's leg. "I just wanted to talk, and see you. It's been such a long while."

Kurt let out a happy sigh before he rested his head on Puck's shoulder. "It's sweet of you," he said.

They drove for a while, but they weren't heading for Lima again. They were driving through Westerville.

"You're quiet today," Puck said silently, glancing shortly over to Kurt. The boy hadn't said anything since they got in the car and they had driven for almost ten minutes.

"I am?" Kurt asked.

Puck just nodded, adding a short break before saying: "Yeah… Something bothering you?"

He looked at his boyfriend again, for a little longer this time, before paying attention to the road again.

Kurt shook his head. "No, not really." He shrugged, - "Just a little tired, I guess."

"I don't believe that," Puck said simply, not caring about pushing further, knowing that Kurt would open up soon enough either way.

"I just miss you guys," he said simply, - "Easy as that. No big deal."

Puck inhaled deeply, before letting the breath out again. "I get it," he said, - "I would love to have you back at McKinley."

He hesitated for a moment, not really sure if he should say what came into his mind: "Look, I know we have this secret romance going on, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't protect you if you came back to McKinley."

Kurt looked at his boyfriend and smiled vaguely. "I know," he said silently, - "I just don't want to get you in any trouble."

Puck rolled his eyes. This boy was too good to be true. "Don't worry. I'll live."

"No you won't," Kurt said immediately, pulling himself back in, - "I mean… Yes, you will, I know, but I don't want you back at Juvie…" He hesitated before stating: "Not only because I would miss you even more than I do now, but…"

He hesitated again when Puck grabbed his hand and wrapped it in his own, gently caressing it with his thumb.

Kurt continued: "But I know you didn't have the thrilling time in Juvie that you tried to make us all believe."

Puck scoffed, but he didn't let go of the boy's hand. He shook his head, not able to comprehend where the guy was coming from with all this. "Baby," he said, giving Kurt a short-lived glance again, - "You went through fucking hell by the time I returned from Juvie and you still bothered how I'd been doing there?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know, I just know…"

He knew that sentence didn't make any sense, but he didn't bother fixing it. Kurt let out a sigh before he looked at Puck. Even though his boyfriend was staring blankly at the road Kurt knew he was paying attention. Kurt didn't let his eyes leave the boy beside him as he said: "You know, it wouldn't hurt if you tried to open to up to me a little as well… I won't think less of you if you do."

Puck lowered the speed and tightened his grip on Kurt's hand. Noticing there wasn't much traffic, he allowed himself to look at Kurt a little too long. Their eyes met and Puck said in a voice just a little more whispered than what was necessary: "I'm in love with you."

He let his hand leave Kurt's and stroked his cheek before paying attention to the road again. Kurt grabbed Puck's hand and wrapped it in his again, bringing it up to his lips in the process.

"I am in love with you too," he said, and Puck was able to hear the smile in his voice at the statement.

After having driven for a few minutes more, Puck took a turn and drove his car into a narrow highway. "Puck?" Kurt asked, leaving a pretty, little laugh in his voice.

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?"

"The lake, baby," Puck answered.

"The lake?" Kurt asked.

"You heard me," Puck confirmed, - "There's a lake nearby somewhere. It's nice, real romantic and stuff now that it's sunset and there's hardly anyone there. My dad used to take me there when I was little, before Sarah was born. Before he decided it was all too much having two kids and just decided to leave his family the fuck behind…"

He tightened his grip on Kurt's hand as well as his grip on the steering wheel. Not tightly enough to hurt but enough for Kurt to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Kurt just nodded. "I sort of get it," he said, pausing before asking: "How old were you when Sarah was born? … When your father left…?"

"Eight," Puck answered. I'm eight years older than Sarah."

Kurt nodded. "Go figure," he said, and Puck gave him a questioning look as if asking what he meant.

"I just mean," Kurt said, - "I was eight years old when my mother died. I get what's it's like to lose a parent."

"Well, you have every reason to be upset, your mother fucking_ died _on you when you were too little to manage a living without her. And that wasn't her choice! Wasn't it a damn accident that killed her off or something?"

"Yeah, car accident," Kurt confirmed, a little pleased Puck remembered from their night after Rachel's party.

"Damn straight," Puck said, - "Car accident, so you have every fucking right in the world to be upset or cry over her loss. No kid deserves to live without its mother. Not his mother. Without a father you can cope, but your mother is a bigger part of you…"

Kurt cut him off, trying to keep a caring but firm tone: "I think you're wrong about that, Noah," he said.

"How come?" Puck asked, deep down inside admitting that he had hoped Kurt would say that.

"My mother didn't leave on purpose. Your father did. And in some way that must've been worse… I mean, you were abandoned by someone very close to you when you were very little," he stroked Puck's hand comfortingly before continuing: - "One you trusted, one you thought would always be there… He left you all behind, leaving you to take care of your mother and sister all by yourself…"

Puck nodded. "You're right," he whispered, almost inaudible, - "You actually get it. My mom's a fucking nerve-wreck, I'm telling you. You've met her. She can't even take care of herself, let alone Sarah or me. She never could, especially when dad ran away."

He took another swing, drove a few meters and they approached a small parking lot that looked abandoned.

"Have you been here since you went here with your dad?" Kurt picked up the courage to ask.

Puck shook his head and looked at Kurt as he parked his car. "No," he said with a small smile, getting out of the car. Kurt followed him and they started walking. Kurt wasn't sure if he was imagining stuff but he thought he could smell water, and if he was right, it wasn't that far away.

"Can I tell you something?" Puck asked, - "Or are you tired of hearing of me and my life and my family and shit because I totally get it if you are."

Kurt shook his head. "No," he said, taking Puck's hand, - "Absolutely not. You can tell me anything."

Puck nodded before stating: "You know the reason I got into Juvie, right?"

Kurt had to laugh. "Yes," he said.

"You don't think that was a totally douchy thing to do?" Puck asked.

"Well, if anything, it was more hilarious than douchy," Kurt commented, - "Sorry, what were you gonna say?"

Puck laughed with him. "No," he said hesitantly, - "You see the reason why I ran off with the ATM was because my family needed the money. Simple as that… I know it isn't a good excuse or whatever, but that's the only reason why I did it. The pool-cleaning business just wasn't enough."

They walked in silence for a while before Kurt pulled his boyfriend's hand to his lips in a gentle kiss. "I get it, Puck," he said, - "I completely understand why you did it."

Puck looked at him before he kissed him quickly on the cheek. They walked in silence until they finally caught glimpse of the water that lay blue and sparkling in front of them. It was sunset now and Kurt swore to himself that he had never in his life experienced anything more romantic than this. Puck seemed to notice and he leaned down and whispered in his boyfriend's ear, even though they were all alone: "Like it, baby?"

Kurt could just nod before he threw himself into Puck's arms and gave him a smashing kiss on the lips that Puck was more than happy to return.

Puck had to chuckle at his boyfriend's excitement. They walked further towards the water until they approached a small area of sand that could remind them of a beach if they tried really hard to make it look like one.

They walked down to the "beach". Kurt took off his Dalton jacket and made some sort of a blanket for them to sit down on. Puck took off his jacket as well, just to give them more space. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful his boyfriend looked, sitting there with the dimmed sunshine illuminating him, throwing a beautiful light to his pale features. His shirt was for whatever reason buttoned open, revealing some of his collarbone. To put it the true Puckerman style: The dude looked fucking hot.

At that moment, Puck had to admit he was confused what the hell was happening to him? Not the gay or bi or pan or whatever thing, but the compassion and caring thing. Because no matter how hot and sexy and drop dead gorgeous his boyfriend looked right now, it wasn't in his mind to just jump him immediately, as one maybe should think it would be, knowing Noah Puckerman.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. Hell, if there was no doubt they both wanted to go that way, they would have been screwing right there on the beach by now, but for whatever reason, Puck's compassion for the boy out-conquered the lust. He didn't want to hurt him more than what had already been done. He was there to make all the wounds heal.

Still, he reached over to pull his boyfriend closer, letting him rest against him as he said: "You know…" He hesitated, - "Whenever you feel ready to take… things… further, just tell me, OK?"

Kurt stiffened a bit in his arms but he stayed still. "I'm sorry Puck, but we will have to take things really slow here. I don't…" He stopped, before adding: "I don't know how long it will take, but I am only asking you to be patient. I'm sorry, I know it's hard but…"

Puck cut him off, stroking his arms lightly as he said: "Hush baby, it's not hard. Don't be sorry. I just needed you to know that it's not that I don't want to be with you that way, because I really do. I want that when you're ready… OK?"

Kurt nodded and relaxed in Puck's embrace. They sat there for a while before Puck spoke again: "It wasn't all that great you know."

When Kurt looked questioning, Puck continued: "In Juvie, I mean. I said that it was great and all, I know, but I'll be honest with you."

"It sucked?" Kurt guessed, giving Puck a small grin.

Puck looked at him before letting out a somewhat cold-hearted chuckle. "Yeah, that's one way to put it," he said, before stating: "Look", claiming Kurt's attention, - "I have no idea what you're going through with all that… What that… What he did to you."

"The rape," Kurt confirmed, flinching ever so slightly at the word, - "You can say it, your tongue won't explode."

Puck chuckled and pulled his boyfriend into his lap, hugging him from behind. "Like I said," he said, - "I'm not saying that I in any way can relate to what you're going through in that department, but I know what was going on there. One guy came to lunch one day right after having been showering, and he was a total mess. A few minutes later this really enormous, big, scary guy came in and the other guy just flinched, like… violently! He never said anything about what had happened but fuck, we all knew…"

Kurt sat back a little, so that he could look into Puck's eyes. His boyfriend had a mortified facial expression at the memory, and he had told the story in that usual badass-tone of his, that he always got when he was telling something heavy. Not that it was a façade he put on, it was totally him all along. The badassness was a big part of him after all, he was just a much kinder badass than he would let on.

Puck looked straight at Kurt for a second before burying his head in his hands. "And to think," he said, lifting his head again, his eyes having gone darker, - "That someone ever did that to you…"

He shook his head in disbelief, and Kurt noticed that his voice had gotten a much darker tone. It didn't scare him, as it would a year ago. It only served to comfort him and make him feel protected. Not that Kurt was the one who needed to feel protected by anyone, but the only person he could actually stand trying to help him or protect him, was Puck.

Kurt gave him a small smile, and then leaned back into his boyfriend's arms. "I will be OK," he said after a long break.

Puck shook his head. "Still…," he said, - "It's so unfair. That guy in Juvie… That was nothing. It didn't mean shit to me…"

He thought for a moment. "OK, that came out wrong. But it didn't mean anything to me personally. I didn't know the guy and he probably was a jerk… But you… I mean… What's the worst thing you've done in your life?"

Kurt shrugged. "It just…," he began, his voice almost a whisper, - "It doesn't work that way."

"I don't give a shit," Puck said, - "I only give a shit about you."

As stupid as Puck's quote sounded, Kurt found some sweetness in it and touched his hand gently, feeling Puck shivering slightly behind him.

"What that bastard did…," Puck said, - "I would give anything to have him never see the sun again."

He turned Kurt around to look at him, letting himself get lost in the beautiful, blue eyes that looked green in the light of the sunset. "You are the sweetest, most beautiful, compassionate and innocent person I've ever met, Kurt," he said, - "I can't handle anything bad happening to you."

Kurt smiled and squeezed his hand. A content silence appeared between them, before Kurt finally asked: "When did this conversation become me opening myself up to you again?"

Puck shook his head. "Man, you're right," he said, - "I guess I'm not really good at opening up to people."

"Neither am I," Kurt said, noticing the hesitant disbelief in his boyfriend, - "Not when it comes to other people than you."

Puck laughed and nuzzled his boyfriend's neck for a second. When they had been sitting there on the beach for a while and the sun had almost come down completely, Kurt prompted: "Wanna swim?"

Puck just looked at him, and Kurt turned around just to enjoy the confusion on the mohawked boy's face. "What the fuck?" was the only coherent thing coming out of him at that moment, - "Dude, it's April… And not some sunny southern April, really, shitty despite the sun Ohio-April. No way I'm swimming!"

"Well," Kurt said, rapidly getting up from Puck's lap, standing in front of him, shading the tiny bit of sun that was left, stretching before saying: "I am."

By that he suddenly unbuttoned his shirt completely, feeling overly exposed for a second, remembering the last time he undressed in front of anyone that way, but that thought was gone before it had even made its way through his system.

Puck had no way of thinking at that moment, because he was suddenly lost in the incredible, bold beauty and hotness combined in the boy who was his boyfriend. He didn't remember ever having seen Kurt shirtless, but judging by the tight shirts the boy had been wearing on a daily basis since the first time Puck had even seen him, the boy had been gaining some serious muscle through the past year. His body was fit. Not really big muscles of course, but they were definitely present and Puck loved what he saw.

"Holy everything, you're so fucking hot…"

Kurt looked down on him as he took off his shoes, before a chuckle escaped him. "Changed your mind about the swimming?"

Puck thought for a second, before he threw off his T-shirt. "Hell yeah!"

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The night of neglect practically became a totally disaster, as Puck had predicted from the beginning. Really, he had. No he wasn't being clever in the aftermath, he'd had the gut feeling right from the start. The famous 600 followers of Sunshine Corazon never arrived and as a matter of fact neither did Sunshine, the only audience they had was a group of so-called "hecklers" that Sue Sylvester had managed to unionize. The only good thing about the whole situation was Kurt and the fact that Mercedes' diva-personality faded later that night, making Sandy Ryerson, creepy dude he was, pay for everything they needed.

But now, even though he knew he had been planning getting Kurt back for a while now, it was definitely time to get a talk with Santana and get him back where he belonged for good.

**A/N: Reviews are highly appreciated! I will try to have a new chapter up by Sunday!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OK, so I am pretty much the only girl in a million who liked the Lucy Caboosey storyline, so I am mentioning it here, but it isn't a major part of this story. Not at all. It is all Puckurt from here to the moon. So this is the Born This Way AU. I wanted to have more Brittana in this chapter, but I just couldn't find room for them to go with my story. So there. Also, the reason why I don't have Kurt call Puck "Noah" as he does in many a Fanfiction, is because Kurt actually doesn't call him by his first name on the show. And I love how sexy it sounds when he calls him "Puck" or "Puckerman"… Anyway; enjoy! **

He broke her fucking nose! Finn Hudson wasn't exactly the smartest or most structured of people and Lord knows his dancing needed work, even though it probably wouldn't improve further in the future anyway. But never had Puck ever thought that it would lead to Finn breaking Rachel's nose. Fine, in all its stupidity, it was kind of funny. But not when Rachel approached the choir room and announced to everyone that she was planning on getting a freaking nose-job.

Puck wasn't actually known to be very accepting and tolerant of the girls he had dated or done, but even he was all for natural women. Wow, it was weird having thoughts about attractive girls again, seeing as all that usually was on Puck's mind was Kurt. That didn't, however, mean that he didn't find girls attractive anymore. He did. He always had and he most likely always would. He just didn't fall in love with them, apparently. At least he had never fallen deeply in love with a girl before.

Sure, he loved Quinn but more in a protective, brotherly way and because she had given birth to his child. He knew it wasn't really his place to be upset or to blame her for anything, but deep down inside he really wished she would've kept Beth or at least had some access to her mother. But no, Shelby Corcoran was far away now and whenever she returned to Lima, there would probably be no way she would let Puck anywhere near his child. Really? _His_ child? Did he just refer to Beth, the so-called "accident", as "his child"? Whatever? She wouldn't let him see her. Puck knew that. He was a fucking delinquent for god's sake. No matter what anyone said, no one, not even Kurt, could convince him otherwise. Hell, it was the truth.

But enough about girls and Quinn, and back to Rachel. Puck really didn't want her to change her appearance. She looked great the way she looked. If she got a nose-job, she would lose what made her special… Wow, how much of a lame loser-comment was that? He sounded like Mr. Schue.

Puck had a lot to do this week! He had three plans, actually. No, four, to be exact. The first one being helping Rachel accept her nose, and he would totally need Kurt's help in that department, the second being getting Kurt back at McKinley without pushing him further. That was something he needed Santana's help on. His third mission was the Glee Club assignment for the week. Santana's bitchiness was escalating further, if that was even possible. As nearly every single member of the New Directions tried to force Rachel into not getting a nose-job, she had the guts to point out the flaws of every single member of the club. Even Puck understood how mean that really was. Still, he didn't bother commenting on it. He needed the girl, after all. However, the Glee Club assignment was to make a T-shirt with some flaw of yours written of it, to try to embrace the weirdest or maybe "worst" parts of you. Puck had no idea what to write. Sure, he was flawed, he knew that, but he was pretty sure his flaws were way too heavy for an ordinary, partly conservative public high school to handle. He would have to try to think of something later.

And to top it all off, Lauren Zizes, his "beloved" ex-girlfriend had approached him in the hallway today. Again. Puck was immediately a little afraid she would try to make a sex tape again, but he realized that would make Kurt kill him, so he wouldn't have that anyway.

Luckily that wasn't what she wanted. What Lauren wanted was, if possible, even more inevitable: She wanted to be elected prom queen. Puck had to hold back a chuckle at the thought. Chicks like Lauren just didn't become prom queen. That was a fact. It wasn't how Puck thought it should be, not at all, but it was a pure, horrifying norm of every high school community that the crown and the scepter and the title belonged to chicks like Quinn or Santana.

That didn't, however, mean that he didn't want to help Lauren out on her mission. He would gladly help her become prom queen if that was what she wanted. The thing was, he had never seen her as the prom queen type, when it came to her personality either.

The first thing he had to do, however, was to try to make Rachel change her mind about the nose job. That was for sure. It wasn't long until she obviously would have her surgery and he would do everything that was in his power to try to make her change his mind. He, as everyone else in the New Directions, knew why she wanted it, of course. It wasn't so she could hit higher notes or just to look prettier. She was happy about her pitch, vocal range and looks. She wanted Quinn's nose. Why? Because Quinn was Finn's girlfriend and that was a position everyone knew Rachel would be more than happy to see herself in. And neither Puck nor Finn would have it! Only Quinn seemed supportive of her decision. Plus Santana of course, who lived by the philosophy: "If you see something you don't like, you should change it."

Puck knew Rachel. She was stubborn, that girl, and no one seemed to be able to change her mind once she had made a determined decision.

But God bless his beautiful boyfriend who Puck met up with at the Lima mall that week. They sometimes happened to hang out casually like that. They had to keep a somewhat low profile, that being said. Lima was a small town, and there was not a single person in that town who didn't know of Kurt Hummel's sexuality. For a boy to ever even be seen with him, would be seen as some kind of weird death wish, unless it was Finn, who was his brother now.

Puck didn't give a shit about people, so het let the norms fall, and decided to go to the mall with Kurt, even if it escalated into Kurt buying enough clothes to feed the entire staff of the mall for the rest of that month.

"You heard about Rachel?" Puck asked as he and Kurt were standing casually, leaning on the fence of the second floor of the mall.

Kurt frowned. "What about her? That she broke her nose?"

He obviously hadn't heard. Seriously, what kind of friends were they? The only ones ever telling him anything nowadays was either him, who was more his boyfriend than his friend so to speak, and Santana. Where's the sense in that? Not even Finn seemed to tell him anything and the two of them fucking lived together.

"Yeah, and she's considering getting a fucking nose job," Puck explained.

Kurt's eyes widened until they looked like silver plates. "What?" he exclaimed, loudly enough to make people wonder if everything was OK.

"True story," Puck commented, knowing Kurt would push for details all by himself.

Kurt slapped Puck on the arm to make him pay attention. "OW!" Puck exclaimed as he rubbed his arm. Damn, the boy had a mean right hook. "Why are you hitting me?"

"To make you listen! Please, tell me she changed her mind."

Puck shook his head. "No, she's still considering it. I tried to make her listen, but she just won't. It's not my business anymore."

"The hell it is!" Kurt exclaimed, before his face got some new light to it, - "I have an idea!"

Puck's face expression must've been priceless by the surprise that was showing. Hell, what was it with this guy? He had the perfect solution for everything.

"What is it?"

"She won't listen to you…"

"Not Finn either," Puck said, - "Not Tina, not Mr. Schue… No one."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "And she probably won't listen to me either," he said, leaving a long break in the air, making Puck want to shake the thoughts out of him, - "But I know who will," he said finally.

"Who?" Puck prompted.

A secretive smile appeared on the smaller boy's face. "Meet me here in two hours," he said, - "Bring Rachel."

"But…," Puck said, not really sure how to put his words, - "Where the hell are you going with all this?"

"You'll see," Kurt said as he walked away.

"Hey Kurt," Puck said before he walked off, a sly grin on his face.

"What?" Kurt asked, knowing that look.

"You're kind of cute when you're all excited like that."

Kurt nodded. "Kind of," he said, as he walked away.

**PK**

He hadn't meant "kind of". He had meant "extremely", but it was just something about Kurt that was so breathtaking Puck forgot how to use more advanced words than two-syllabled ones. He made a note to himself to make it up to him.

He met up with Rachel at the Lima mall as he and Kurt had planned. Kurt had sent Puck a short explanation of what his plan entailed:

"_Here's the deal: U show up with Rach as planned, walk upstairs 2wards the place u & I were in earlier. We'll just give away some preachy explanations 2 y she shouldn't get her nose done, and then we're having a Barbravention!"_

Puck had no idea what that meant, so he just typed back:

"_I luv u, but WTF?"_

Kurt's answer came sooner than Puck thought was possible:

"_Barbravention = u, I and the rest of the Glee Club dancing to "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce until she changes her mind. At the mall."_

Puck had serious doubts that would work, but what could he do but trust the boy?

So… He met up with Rachel at the Lima mall. At Rachel's question as to why the two of them were there, Puck gave the answer straight out: "I came here to knock some sense into your head," he said, even though he knew Rachel was tired of all the preachy comments regarding her decision. He couldn't contain himself, so he referred slightly to the conversation he'd had with Kurt earlier that day: "You won't listen to me, you won't listen to Finn…"

… and speaking of Kurt! There he was! Hot as ever… Puck, focus! "But she will listen to Barbra Streisand," Kurt said, as if wondering if Puck had forgotten something along the way.

Puck could only stand there grinning like an idiot. "Thanks Puck, I'll take it from here," Kurt said, and there was just something about the way he used his nickname that was so totally hot, - "Nice offer, but only I can lead this Barbravention."

Puck nodded and walked down, starting to work on the music to get everything ready. From where he stood, he could see Kurt pulling off his preachy down (he noticed this just by regarding his attitude). He was probably educating Rachel on how she was spitting on "Barbra's legacy" by getting a nose job or something like that.

At some point, Kurt turned towards him, with the most determined facial expression Puck had ever seen, hinting for him to turn the music on.

Puck hesitated for a second, distracted by the hotness of his boyfriend, before he turned the music on, and BAM! Kurt Hummel showed off his dance skills! Damn, the boy could dance, Puck would give him that. But also, that was a part he already knew. He had seen the boy pull off "Single Ladies" one year and a half ago. That was an image he would never want to get out of his mind.

**PKPKPK**

The Barbravention seemed to, against all odds and Puck's beliefs, work. The day after, Santana approached him in the hallway.

"I've got news for you," she said simply.

Puck liked this. It was a nice opportunity for him to introduce her to the plan on cooperating with her in order to get Kurt back to McKinley. Perfect! She came before him in that department, though. As Puck said "what?" as casually as ever, Santana prompted: "Karofsky's gay."

This was a fact that Puck was very well aware of, seen as Kurt had told him, but hearing Santana knew kind of surprised him.

"How do you know?" he simply asked, not bothering to act overly surprised.

"He was checking out Sam's ass in the hallway," she said, giving away a cold-hearted chuckle. There was a break between them, where Puck contemplated Santana's extraordinarily awesome gaydar, also wondering if she knew anything about him, before the Latina crossed her arms and asked: "Know what that means?"

Puck frowned, not really knowing where she was going with this. "No," he said, even though he had a feeling they were on the same term.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Now you listen to me squirrel head," she said, - "I'm only saying this once: Karofsky. Needs. To. Be. Blackmailed. So. We. Can. Get. Kurt. Back. At. McKinley. So. I. Can. Be. Prom. Queen."

Puck frowned. As if that was going to help. And besides, blackmailing him? "How?" he asked.

Santana shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," she said, - "We could threaten to out him to the entire school if he doesn't become nicer to Kurt. I actually happen to have a perfect idea!"

Surprise, Puck thought ironically, but he said nothing. The girl was smart, that was for sure. She was like an evil genius.

"Isn't that a little mean?" he asked, because that was pretty much the only coherent thought that was in his mind at the moment. He didn't know what it was, but it appeared is encouraging love for Kurt Hummel had made him brain dead.

"It's not like we're gonna do it, dumbass," Santana explained as if she was talking to a five-year-old, - "We're gonna threaten him with it."

"Oh," Puck said, a little relieved. He hated the idea of being outed himself, as well as he hated the idea of Santana being outed. He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. Not even on Karofsky, so he was grateful Santana didn't try to drag him into something that simply was too cruel. But wait a second…

"What if it doesn't work? What if he doesn't buy our threats?"

Santana shrugged. "He will," she guaranteed.

"How do you know?" Puck asked, a little perplexed, it seemed.

Santana rolled her eyes again. "What would you think if someone outed you on your extremely obvious love for Hummel, Puckerman?" she asked, again crossing her arms over her chest.

Wow… So her gaydar really was that awesome, huh? Puck was kind of amazed, but more than anything he wanted to know how the hell she knew that, so again he asked: "How do you know?"

"Oh please!" Santana exclaimed, - "You'd be blind not to see it! Or I would, anyway. Don't worry, I don't think the retarded friends of ours have a single clue what's going on, but I know that you're so into him you don't know whether you're dead or alive."

She put a friendly wink after the last sentence, reassuring Puck that he was safe. She wasn't going to tell anyone. Besides, if she did, he also had his chance at outing her. And he would do it! Cruel as it would be or not, he would.

Going back to the Karofsky case of it all, Puck finally agreed. "I'm in," he said. It was their only way, after all.

**PKPKPKPK**

Puck didn't really have to be a part of the plan at all. Santana took care of most of it on her own. She met up with Karofsky at a café one day, and her blackmail process begun. She got him to come into the choir room one day, much to everyone's despise, giving a half-hearted apology which Santana silently mouthed to him through. No one brought up the subject that it was Kurt he should be apologizing to, not them, but Figgins beat them to it. He told them that Kurt's father and Kurt himself, as well as Karofsky and his dad had agreed on a meeting with Figgins and Mr. Schue later that afternoon to see if there was a possibility Karofsky really had changed.

This afternoon? Puck had to give Kurt a message:

"_U OK, babe? Hear ur meetin with the terrorist 2day?"_

Puck obviously hadn't told Kurt of his bright idea of getting him back to McKinley. He didn't want to come on too pushy. It was Kurt's decision and he needed to know that his boyfriend had his back no matter which school he decided to attend.

The response came almost immediately:

"_I'm fine. How did u hear?"_

Puck replied:

"_Karofsky came in2 the choir room 2day, givin some lousy apology for how he treated u."_

Kurt's answer came after a few minutes:

"_We'll c when I get there. Hoping for the best."_

Puck responded: "_Good luck, babe. I'm here when u need me."_

He didn't really expect a reply from his boyfriend on that one. I mean, didn't he have lots to do in Dalton at the moment? But he got an answer: _"Thanks. Ur amazing."_

He was pretty sure he was giggling throughout the rest of the day. The afternoon came and went and Puck didn't hear more from Kurt that day. He supposed the plan hadn't gone well, seen as he hadn't heard from him all night. He didn't bother giving him a call. He was too tired, besides, tomorrow would come and he could talk to him then after school.

**PKPKPKPK**

Puck got a message from Mercedes by lunchtime that day. That was a bit strange, seeing as Puck couldn't remember her ever having sent him one single message since they were dating for a couple of days last year. The message read:

"_Meet up at the outside cafeteria by noon! – Mercedes."_

Puck had no clue what the girl was talking about. Probably some Glee thing or a "let's join together against Rachel Berry's divaness"-operation. It crossed his mind that it could be about Kurt, but he let that thought slide pretty quickly. Mr. Schue had been right: Kurt was gone and he wasn't coming back. It occurred to Puck that having him after school and on the weekends just wasn't enough. He needed to spend every moment of every day with the one person he would ever be capable of loving.

Holy shit! Had he just thought that? That he loved the boy? Sure, he was _in love _with him, he had never been able to deny that, neither to himself nor Kurt, but did he _love_ him now? Because that sure as hell wasn't the same thing! Oh, be it. If he loved him, he loved him. Wasn't that what true relationships were about anyway? Yes, it was, he decided.

He met up where Mercedes had told him to. "It's noon," he heard her say, - "It's time."

"Time for what?" Puck asked, before an all too familiar voice interrupted him, yelling:

"My transfer!"

As Puck took the moment to look up and see the very familiar silhouette illuminated by the sun, the voice yelled: "Kurt Hummel's back at McKinley!"

A little stagnant, wondering if he had actually heard right, he could only stare at his secret boyfriend until he had come down all the stairs and given hugs to all the Glee clubbers. When he had hugged Finn, Puck came up to him and gave him a slight hug from the side, causing a few weird glances from their fellow Glee club members. They didn't care to ask, though.

When they were somewhat alone, and the others had gone to their classes, Kurt and Puck were left behind. They walked a few meters in silence before Puck spoke up: "I'm glad to have you back."

Kurt gave away a smile that Puck couldn't help but return. "Me too," he answered.

They walked in silence for a few meters more, before Kurt spoke up again: "Sorry I didn't call you yesterday."

Puck chuckled. "It's OK," he said, - "Though I thought it hadn't gone well seeing as you didn't call me. How did it go? With Karofsky and the meeting and all?"

Kurt shrugged. "He promised not to bother me anymore and… I asked to talk to him alone for a moment."

Puck looked at him, a frown appearing on his forehead. "You dared that?"

Kurt laughed a little. "Yeah, it was no big deal, really. My dad and Finn stood outside the whole time."

Puck was about to frown at the mention of Finn, but once again he remembered that he and Kurt were brothers now and that there was no way the two of them would have a thing going. So he just nodded and put an arm around the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Um…," Kurt said hesitating.

"What?" Puck asked.

"I think you might end up in serious danger holding me in public."

Puck rolled his eyes and pulled Kurt closer before letting him go. "I don't really give a shit," he said, - "I'm just glad to have you back."

Yet another comfortable silence appeared between them, but then Puck asked: "So are you planning on singing anything to mark your return?"

Kurt smiled wider now. This was definitely his type of conversation. "I was thinking 'As If We Never Say Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard. What do you think?"

Honestly, Puck had never heard the song, and he didn't feel the need to lie to his boyfriend about it, so he just shrugged and said with a grin: "Never heard it."

Kurt laughed. "I guess you're about to, then," he smiled. They walked in silence towards their classrooms.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

God, the boy's voice was so beautiful. Come to think of it, Puck hadn't heard Kurt sing since Regionals and it was delightful to hear his sweet, angelic voice again. All he could do was sit still with a dreamy expression painted on his face, regarding his boyfriend with all the love he had for him.

The only two things left on his bucket list were helping Lauren with her prom queen campaign and make his T-shirt. He still had no idea what the shirt would say by the way, but the one thing he was determined to focus on now was Lauren's campaign.

After school that day when Kurt had transferred, Puck approached him in the hallway. "Care to drive me home today?" he asked.

Kurt smiled and shrugged. "Sure," he said.

And so it went. In the car Puck told Kurt of his new plan. Kurt was, softly spoken, completely and utterly flustered. "Wait what?" he asked, - "Lauren Zizes wanting to be crowned prom queen? What happened to the world?"

Puck had to chuckle as Kurt regarded him intensively behind the steering wheel. "Kurt, watch the road, please, I don't want you to damage your pretty little face."

Kurt snorted softly, but did as his boyfriend said. He went back to the topic. "So…," he asked, - "What are you gonna do about it?"

Puck shrugged. "No clue," he said simply. It was the truth, but Lauren had come up with an idea. Better tell Kurt everything: "Lauren is all for digging into the crap of her resistor's past. Her biggest rival being Quinn…"

"Puck, that's mean," Kurt said sternly.

Puck rolled his eyes. "I know," he said, making a pouty face that never failed to make Kurt laugh. Not even now. Puck continued, rubbing Kurt's neck slightly as he said: "But not everyone can be as perfect as you, you know."

"Cheesiest line ever," was Kurt's immediate comment.

"Care? You're still in love with me."

Kurt couldn't argue.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Puck went on his mission with Lauren. They did research on the school Quinn had told she went to before she attended McKinley, but they didn't seem to have a record of anyone named Fabray at all.

So they found the school she really attended, but surprise, surprise, they didn't have a record of anyone named Quinn Fabray either, but they had, however, a record of someone named Fabray. Lucy Fabray, to be exact, and she apparently looked a lot like Lauren.

"Perfect," Lauren muttered through gritted teeth. So they travelled along up to Quinn's real old school, found her picture (it was a lot easier than expected, seeing as it was Lauren and Puck they were talking about), and got away with it all.

As they were back in the car, Puck wondered what the hell he had just done. He had probably broken a bunch of laws already, only during this day. He figured he just needed the adrenaline.

As they were seated in Lauren's car, Lauren took a long glance at him. "I enjoy hanging out with you again, Puckerman," she said, a small smile lingering on her lips.

Puck grinned. "Yeah, same," he said, not really thinking.

Before neither of them had time to think, Lauren had brought Puck's face closer to hers and kissed him on the lips. Puck's instincts told him to lean into the kiss as he always did, but then reality sunk in! He was changing into a better person who didn't throw away people like they were trash. And he had a boyfriend!

He immediately pulled away, leaving behind a baffled Lauren. "What the fuck?" she simply prompted, - "What's the matter with you? Who's having you so whipped?"

She didn't seem hurt or rejected, she just seemed bewildered. At least that was something. But he couldn't tell her. Not for the life of him. "No one, I'm just not trying to get into any more messes than the ones I've already made," Puck said, not bothering on giving a further explanation.

Lauren didn't buy it of course. She just shook her head. "No, no, Puckerman," she said, her grin becoming triumphant. They wouldn't leave the parking lot before she had gotten some answers, and if someone found them they would immediately find out that they had broken into the school right by them. Damn, was he trying to get into Juvie again?

"Fine," Puck gave in, - "But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

An expression Puck had never seen on Lauren ever appeared on her face. Something similar to concern… Was it anxiety or something? He didn't know.

"Sure," she just said, leaving Puck constricted as to why she didn't bother blackmailing him into anything. Maybe she was just a very good friend. He would make it up to her somehow. He made a mental note there.

"OK," Puck said, dragging his hand through his mohawk. "Lauren…," he hesitated, before he blurted out: "I'm dating Kurt."

Lauren's reaction was anything but what Puck expected. She looked pleased actually. Satisfied. As if she had just gotten something right. "That right?" she asked, giving a crooked grin.

"Yeah?" Puck said, seeming completely directionless. He probably was as well.

Lauren nodded again. "Go figure," she said, before patting his leg, - "Don't worry. I won't tell. But you better make this up to your boyfriend. Tell him straight out that I kissed you. Better be honest. This is your shot at doing something right."

She winked at him, and they drove away in silence.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The day after was the infamous "Born This Way"-day. The "make a T-shirt representing your insecurities"-day while performing a number by Lady Gaga. That was like coming out. Seriously. Nothing was gayer than that.

And Puck still had no T-shirt! He was contemplating writing: "Kissed Lauren", but that would be wrong in so many ways.

Besides, he didn't kiss Lauren. She kissed him. And for once, that was an honest truth. Though he knew Kurt would never buy it.

Puck approached him during lunch break, in the cafeteria. "Hey my little hottie," he whispered in his ear, his voice low. He could see the chills appear on the smaller boy's flawless skin.

"Hey," he smiled.

"I sort of need to talk to you," Puck prompted, not really knowing what he was saying.

Kurt frowned a little. "What's wrong? Something happen?" His voice was filled with concern and it only made Puck's heart swell even more with love for him.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. I'm fine," he said, - "I've just sort of been an asshole."

Kurt put his tray away and said: "Let's find an abandoned classroom or something, so we can talk, OK?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said. What the hell was he giving himself into? He hated the new, honest version of himself!

They found an abandoned classroom, and Puck sat down on one of the desks, meaning Puck was standing a little taller than usual.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, crossing his arms over his chest, reminding Puck of Santana for a second.

"I went to dig into Q's past last night, to her old school, with Lauren."

Kurt frowned and nodded for him to go on. "OK…?"

Puck took a deep breath and letting everything out in one: "When we were outside the school, in her car, she sort of happened to kiss me."

He watched Kurt's concerned expression darken into something similar to disbelief. A silence appeared between the two and it was anything but comfortable. This wasn't gonna be good. After what felt like hours, Puck whispered: "Please, say something…"

Kurt's eyes went to the roof. It was apparent he was contemplating something to say. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice had the same tone of disbelief as his face had: "She 'sort of happened to kiss you'?"

Puck shrugged, seeming even more stupidly unsure than usual. "Yeah. Kurt, I promise you, that is all that happened!" Wow, he had suddenly become desperate. But he couldn't lose this boy now. He couldn't give it all up, what he had worked so hard to make work.

Kurt nodded, before he let out in a hoarse whisper: "I want to believe you…"

"Please believe me," Puck said.

Kurt shook his head, a single tear falling from his eyes, but he wiped it away quickly. It broke Puck's heart to see him like that. And it was because of him.

"No please don't cry," Puck begged. Was he seriously begging?

Kurt shook his head again. "I don't know what to believe…," he said, - "I'm returning and the first thing you do is make out with Lauren…"

"I didn't make out with her," Puck insisted, - "She kissed me, that's all!"

"A comment made by many a cheater," Kurt said cold-heartedly. His voice was so emotionless it almost scared Puck a little.

Kurt's expression was heart wrenching. Puck wanted nothing more than scooping him into his arms and hold him until everything was OK, like he used to when Kurt was sad. But now was not the time for that. But what could he do? Should he lie? No, that would be wrong. But apparently this was wrong too. Why did he never get anything right?

"I would never cheat on you," he promised, - "For fuck's sake, Kurt, you know how crazy I am about you!"

Kurt nodded. "Please don't talk right now," he said, - "I can't talk right now."

And by that he left the classroom. Puck ran after him in the hallway, not really caring if anyone was staring at the moment. no one was present though.

"So that's it, then?" Puck asked, - "You're breaking up with me?"

Kurt turned around quickly, instantly. "No," he said, sounding almost surprised, - "No, I'm not breaking up with you. I need time to think. I will have thought everything through by our Born This Way performance."

And by that he ran away.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Puck met up at the auditorium an hour before they were supposed to be there. He had finally found out the perfect saying for his shirt: "I'm with stupid", with an arrow pointing down to his dick. Most perfect description of Puck in general. It was mostly his definition, now that he thought about it.

He heard steps above him, and turned around to see Kurt standing a few meters above him. Kurt's eyes widened at the sight of him, and he turned to walk out of the auditorium. Puck wanted to yell after him that he had promised to have thought everything through by now. But instead all he came up with was: "That's it? You don't even wanna see my shirt?"

He could practically hear Kurt roll his eyes, but at the same time he could hear the slight smile appearing on his face, whether he wanted it to be there or not.

Either way, Kurt turned around to face him, and his eyes flickered down to his shirt, and he couldn't let back a soft chuckle, that he tried to hold back as soon as it was too late.

"Know I lost my V-card at twelve?" Puck asked.

Kurt's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. His eyes were confirmation enough. "Thought so," Puck said simply, taking a step closer to Kurt, his hands resting in the pockets of his jeans. He continued: "Was some old lady… I was big for my age though, she probably thought I was older. Besides, it was kind of good."

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you telling me this, Noah?" he asked.

Puck chuckled, took one step further and said: "First of all, haven't I told you to call me Puck? Second, this," he took a few steps closer again, until he and Kurt were only a couple of meters from each other, - "Is me. Opening up. To you. I have never opened up to anyone in my life, so this is probably a little weird."

Kurt took the last step, hesitantly, forward. "Do tell," he said, - "We still have almost an hour until the rest of the guys will be here."

Puck had no description for how relieved he felt at that moment, and the relief wasn't exactly belittled when Kurt reached for his hand and led him towards the chair-row at the bottom of the auditorium. They sat down, hands still linked.

"Do tell," Kurt said again, - "Open up. I'll listen. But I have to say I have a feeling this ain't about you losing your virginity."

Puck let out a laugh. "You figured as much?"

Kurt laughed as well now. "Yeah, you couldn't impress me there anyway. I lost it at fifteen to a…" He stopped, - "Sorry, I'm an attention whore. This isn't about me. It's about you. Go ahead."

Puck laughed and shook his head as if to deny everything Kurt had just said about himself. "It's OK," he said, caressing his smaller hands in his own, - "Yeah… Sometimes my entire family just gets on my nerves."

He stopped, thinking about how to put his words, before continuing: "In a way it was much better when my dad was still living with us. I mean… I didn't have that much of a burden hanging on my shoulders as I did after he left…" He took a break, but started talking quickly again: "You see… My father was a great dad in many ways. At least when he was sober. When he was drunk…" He shook his head, taking a deep breath in the process, - "Not so good."

Kurt's eyes were filled with concern. "What did he do?" he asked.

"You wanna know?" Puck asked.

Kurt shrugged, before saying something Puck swore he had heard somewhere before: "No, I don't, but it will only be worse if I don't hear it. I wanna know what that bastard did to you."

He gave him a small smile and Puck wanted nothing more than kiss and hold him forever in that moment. He didn't, however. He just said: "I remember one day specifically… My mom was five months pregnant with Sarah. It wasn't long before he left us… He had been out drinking all night and he came home at two. It was a Thursday, but my mom and I were still up. He came home, drunk as ever, yelling something about how we were a waste of his time…"

Puck looked at Kurt for a moment. "Can you even imagine?" he asked, - "I was eight years old, and I heard my father yelling about useless I was."

Kurt shook his head and rested his head on Puck's shoulder, still caressing his hands. "He should know how lucky he was to have a son like you," he whispered.

Puck kissed the top of his head, before continuing the story: "He screamed for, I don't know, ten minutes straight, maybe? Before my mom had had enough of him… So she started yelling back…"

Puck shook his head in disbelief. "I remember him raising his hand, ready to hit her. Good thing it all happened in slow-motion to me, meaning I could act fast. I just stepped in front of her immediately, like fucking Matrix I tell you, and he hit me instead… God, my mom screamed."

He gave a chuckle, but it was dry and crushed. "She screamed for him not to hit me, but he continued… And I just hoped she would stop screaming… I hoped she would just let me have it… I hoped he would beat me senseless and when I finally passed out, that he would be satisfied and not start beating her…"

He shook his head, hiding it in his hands. Kurt wrapped his arms around him, and kissed his shoulder softly. He didn't say anything.

"Maybe my prayers were heard," Puck said, the same cold-hearted chuckle returning, - "My mom had no bruises the next morning… I woke up on the kitchen floor, my dad sitting by the table, telling me how sorry he was. How he never would do that again… Bullshit."

As Kurt noticed Puck was fighting back tears, he wrapped his arms firmer around him. "Oh Noah…," he whispered, not caring that he was using his first name.

Puck shook his head as if pulling himself together, before asking: "Remember how Q gave Beth up?"

Kurt nodded. "Of course," he said sympathetically. Puck was silent, so Kurt found the urge to speak: "Do you regret it?" he squirmed a little uncomfortably, - "Giving her up?"

Puck nodded vaguely. "Yeah, I do," he said, dragging his hand across his face in a defeated manner, - "My dad hardly played any part in my life, and the few moments I remember him being a good father are so few and lost in all the other shit he did…"

Kurt nodded, kissing his shoulder gently. Puck continued: "At least I wanna play a part in Beth's life, you know? I wanna let her have the father that I never got… But hell, there's no way Shelby would let me."

"Why not?" Kurt asked, looking Puck in the eyes, a stern look in his eyes, - "Puck, you are the most amazing person I've ever met. Why not?"

Puck laughed a little at the insanity that was his boyfriend. "Because to her, a grown woman with a brain, I am just a simple delinquent. That's not even a bad conclusion."

"The hell it is," Kurt scoffed, - "Puck, if that woman is anything like her _first _daughter, we can say many things about her… But if they are anything like each other, we can say that she isn't judgmental. At least not that way."

Puck never thought he could love his boyfriend more than he did in that very moment. Kurt leaned in and gave Puck a real hug that lasted for nearly a minute. When he pulled away he could see tears in Puck's eyes.

"Hey, hey…," Kurt said comfortingly, wiping the two that had fallen down his face away, - "You gonna be alright?"

Puck nodded, wiping his tears angrily. "Yeah," he said, - "You're too good to be true, that's all."

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head, before leaning in, kissing his boyfriend.

"So," Puck said, deciding to change the subject, - "What does your T-shirt say?"

Kurt laughed as he unzipped his sweater, revealing a shirt that simply said: "Likes boys."

Puck gave a light chuckle. "Well, can't say that's an insecurity, babe."

Kurt shrugged. "I know," he said, - "Not to us, at least… But to the rest of this town, this state… It really is."

Puck nodded. Kurt was right, as sad as that was. The "Born This Way" performance was quite possibly the most honest and sincere performance they had ever done. If you excluded Santana watching them with a T-shirt that said: "Lebanese", which everyone could put two and two together and find out what meant, and Karofsky sitting beside her.

And it was in that moment, as Kurt saw his former bully sit in the auditorium that he knew something was up with that kid. Not in a bad way on his part, but Kurt suddenly got worried. He hoped Karofsky wouldn't torture himself too much over the huge secret he was carrying.

He quickly shook his worries away. He was probably just exaggerating. As always.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! Not many warnings to come up with here. No big shockers. Sweet fluff from dusk 'til dawn, I think I will say. Enjoy! Reviews are highly appreciated.**

It was complete and utter chaos. Puck couldn't even comprehend how it came down to this. It had all started with coach Sylvester reviving the student newspaper called "The Muckraker". One would be stupid not to realize she only did this to get dirt on the Glee Club right before Nationals. Her goal as usual: To destroy the Glee Club. From within. Puck was slightly amazed at her ability to appear like a sport's freak and an evil dictator at the same time. You could say many things about coach Sylvester, but she had authority. Besides, she was the only one doing anything when Kurt was being bullied. Puck was kind of grateful for that. So therefore he decided not to pay too much negative attention to coach Sylvester.

But that was pretty heard, when Brittany the very same week had gotten the brilliant idea into her mind to start a talk-show, and Santana stormed into the choir room in rage. "You told everyone I play for another team on your ridiculous melted cheese show!" she yelled at Brittany who stared at her dumbfounded.

The blonde came up with the lousiest explanation ever as to how what she had said could have different meanings, seeing as Santana had been on the Cheerios, but was now in Glee club.

Finn acted weirdly this week as well. He had gotten into that thick skull of his that Quinn was cheating on him with Sam. Puck had no idea where he got that idea from, but he got a bigger clue when Kurt asked him after Glee if they could talk for a while. He had something to tell him, so they sat down in the choir room, Kurt leaning against the piano as Puck sat down on the piano chair, his arms loosely locked around his boyfriend's waist. As Kurt shifted a little, the keys of the piano played a short, atonal sound that prompted a small chuckle out of both of them.

Kurt smiled a little and rested his hands on Puck's shoulders. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked, a serious tone resting in his voice.

Puck gave a chuckle. "What do you think?" he asked. He had already kept two major secrets about Kurt all to himself, even though especially one of them had made him want to scream, beat someone up and cry at the very same time.

Kurt smiled vaguely. "Promise you won't tell this to anyone. Seriously."

Puck suddenly got concerned. Extremely so. When Kurt used that tone it usually meant devastating news. He pulled his hands from his waist and reached for his hands. He caressed them in his own for a few seconds, looking down on them as if comprehending something, before looking up into Kurt's eyes, asking: "Something happen to you, or…?" Because if it did, he would beat their asses!

"No," Kurt said rapidly, a comforting smile resting on his lips as he caressed Puck's cheek, - "No, it's nothing like that. It's Sam."

Puck frowned. "What about him?" He knew the boy would never cheat on him, but that didn't mean it didn't make him a little jealous hearing Kurt saying his name. Did that make him a crazy person? Probably. Whatever?

"His parents lost their jobs," Kurt said slowly, and Puck frowned. They lost their home? How? Sam had never mentioned anything about money problems. Puck had seen his family as a totally normal family. Oh well, he guessed there was something to every family.

"Oh," he said, but put himself on hold when he realized Kurt wasn't quite finished.

"And then they lost their house and now they're living in a motel."

Puck's eyes widened. "Shit," he muttered, but he didn't say anything more.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "I only found out because Blaine told me he delivered pizza to Dalton one day. So I checked up on him the other day and I found out his parents are out looking for jobs all day while Sam has to stay home and take care of his siblings. Only to make a living they have had to sell everything that they have, so I brought him some old clothes of mine."

Puck, not being the most observant of guys, had actually realized Sam had dressed a little weird lately, but then again, his outfits were usually strongly influenced by his Letterman jacket which made everything sort of look the same, if that made any sense.

Puck nodded. "Cool," he said, his face softening, - "It's so sweet how caring you are, really."

Kurt frowned. "You're not jealous?" he asked, teasing a little but both boys knew there was some seriousness behind his question.

"Should I be?" Puck asked, in the same tone.

Kurt shook his head. "No," he said, - "No of course not." He caressed Puck's cheek briefly, before saying: "I just mean that… Rumors travel fast in this school, especially now that The Muckraker is back in business, and I figured people are soon enough gonna assume that Sam and I are…"

Kurt stopped himself. "Screwing?" Puck asked, a slightly wicked grin remaining on his face.

Kurt slapped him lightly. "I was about to say dating, but sure," he said, a dry laughter remaining in his tone. There was a break before he stated: - "I guess I just wanted you to know the whole truth before the rumors began."

Puck nodded, and pulled Kurt a bit closer, so that he was no longer resting on the piano, but standing between Puck's legs. Puck was still holding Kurt's hands.

"Thanks for telling me," Puck said sincerely.

Kurt gave a short smile and was about to go, before he remembered something: "Oh, and Puck?" he asked, going back to his previous position.

"Yes babe?" Puck asked, the same sly grin reappearing.

"Sam doesn't like that people knows, so I would appreciate it if you pretended like you didn't know anything, OK?"

Puck nodded. "Sure," he said, - "But how are we supposed to do that? I mean… I'd like to protect you from whatever rumor you will have thrown at you."

Kurt cocked his head slightly to the side; a gesture that made Puck find him even more adorable if that was even possible. "That's sweet Puck," he said, - "But I can take care of myself, I promise."

"OK," Puck agreed, - "I'll play along. I'll pretend like I don't know anything, but I won't be accusing you of anything."

His voice was a little stern and Kurt had to laugh. "OK," he said, trying to get out of his boyfriend's grip.

As usual, his boyfriend wouldn't give up without battle.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

It went well throughout the entire first half of the week. The rumors had started, as he had predicted, but they weren't as heavy as he had imagined. At least not yet. The Muckraker or just Jacob Ben Israel for that matter had gotten a clue what was going on, so the main rumors went within the Glee club, as they usually did.

The assignment for the week was doing songs from Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors"-album, seeing as they fought and made up rumors about each other nearly as much as the New Directions did at the time. Apparently Rachel and Finn had been spying outside Sam's motel, spotting both Kurt and Quinn exiting the motel late at night. Of course they immediately made the conclusion that Quinn was cheating on Finn with Sam, and that again meant that Sam was sort of cheating on Quinn with Kurt, unless they had some kind of deal, even though that sounded strange, knowing Quinn and Kurt.

It was a total mess, but Kurt dealt with it the only way he knew how. Take it all in and then let it out in one swift breath as if it didn't mean anything. But still, it actually did. As much as he'd like not having to admit it, there was this slight gut feeling he had that said that the rumors would eventually become too much to handle. Even for him.

He didn't know why or how, but he had the feeling that there was something that would take this to the point of no return, and he was sure it wouldn't go well from there.

He was right. One day it all went out of hand. The New Directions were collected in the choir room as usual, technically supposed to be preparing for Nationals, even though that thought seemed a pretty far distance away, even in Rachel's case. Stroke that. Especially in Rachel's case.

The Muckraker had finally gotten hold of the news, and Mercedes was the first one to shoot the elephant in the room in the face: "Kurt!" she commanded as she approached the choir room.

Kurt looked at her with widened eyes, not remember the last time he saw her that determined. Despite them having grown slightly apart lately, Mercedes was still his best friend and he loved her because and despite of all her flaws, but truth be told, she could be a little too much sometimes. Especially at times like these.

"What?" Kurt asked dryly, knowing what was coming. Or… not quite. He knew he was going through a cross-examination any moment but he hadn't expected it to start with such a bang:

"Why you ain't been telling me you lost your V-card?"

He was taken aback for a few moments, wondering what event she was really talking about. Honestly, he had occasionally been feeling a little guilty for not telling Mercedes the truth on how he really lost his virginity, but she was the sweetest and most gullible person Kurt had ever encountered. He knew her sudden outburst wasn't meant to hurt the way it did, but it still did. Whatever happened, he did not like being reminded of that horrific experience of his past. End of story.

His eyes flickered to Puck for a moment, who for whatever reason stood entirely to the right end of the choir room, along with the band kids who no one really had heard say a word. Maybe except for Rachel. Maybe. Puck's eyes flickered back to Kurt as well, a hint of awareness and comfort resting in them, as if to ask Kurt if he was OK.

Kurt gave him a somewhat reassuring nod that wasn't quite reliable, as he slowly asked his best friend: "Mercedes, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You and Sam!" she squealed, - "I know who you're doing it with ain't my business, but at least you could have told me when you lost your big V?"

"Hey Aretha," Puck said casually, causing Mercedes' attention along with a mean glare.

"Waddup Puckerman?" she asked, the attitude never leaving her voice.

"Chillax!" Puck yelled, the only one in the room actually realizing how those words really affected the boy.

Grateful for his secret boyfriend's support, Kurt let his head fall back, partly because he was stated and partly because he really needed the time to process what was going on in the choir room. Luckily the next attention wasn't given to him, but to Quinn who was seated beside him. Thankfully.

"You too Quinn!" Mercedes said, - "You ain't no better."

"Oh please," Rachel broke in, - "No one here is surprised that Quinn would cheat on Finn, she's always been a man-eater."

Kurt took in what Rachel had said, and that really wasn't fair. Rachel had cheated as well. She wasn't as innocent as she claimed to be. He was ripped from his thoughts when Rachel said: "But Kurt?"

She looked at him with a shocked expression, as if she still couldn't believe how Kurt could do something like this. "I knew a lot of things about you, Kurt, but I never thought you were such a slut!"

Now, those were words that would've hurt no matter what context you put them in, and as Rachel had said that, Quinn reached for Kurt's hand. Kurt knew that she somehow knew how much that word could sting. There was something else in that word as well to Kurt, though. Something strongly associated with _him_. How _he_ had put his words…

Puck realized the tears that were streaming from Kurt's eyes before Kurt did himself. "Way to go, Berry!" he yelled, actually sounding angry now, - "Way to fucking go!"

Everyone's attention was on Kurt now. Wait… Was it really that bad? As he let out a soft sob, he realized it must've been. Puck got up from his chair, and walked over to where Kurt was seated, not really caring about the shocked looks that were given them.

He knelt down in front of Kurt and took his face in his hands. "Hey, hey, hey…," he whispered soothingly, wiping away a tear with his thumb, - "It's ok, you're gonna be alright."

Everyone was staring at the two dumbfounded and both realized that it wouldn't be long before the rumor about them would start as well. The fact of the matter as of right now was that none of them really cared.

The silence seemed to last for a few hours before Sam broke it: "See what you've done?" he asked, - "Look, I'm not sleeping with Quinn or Kurt or anyone in this room at the moment!"

"Then why were you in that motel with them, huh?" Rachel asked, still not giving up.

"Give it up, Rachel," Finn said, even though his voice was barely above a whisper. His concern for his brother was taking over his instincts for a second.

Sam jumped straight to Rachel's question: "Because that's where I live now!"

Everyone went even more silent than before, as Sam explained the entire misunderstanding to them, before he stormed out of the choir room, having Quinn running after him. Puck let out a chuckle that didn't sound the least happy, now holding onto Kurt's hands. "I hope you're fucking happy," he said to the people around him.

Only he and Kurt knew it wasn't only Sam's case he was talking about. His attention withdrew to Kurt. "Are you OK?" he asked, knowing it was a silly question.

Kurt shook his head slowly. "No," he choked out.

Puck nodded. "Can I get you anything, or…?" he was whispering so low that he wasn't sure if anybody except Kurt could hear him.

"Puck…?" Kurt asked, almost as if to assure himself that he was still there.

"Yes?" Puck asked.

"I wanna go home…"

Puck nodded, as he helped the boy rise to his feet. "Sure thing," he said, - "I'll take you home."

They left the choir room, not caring about all the people staring at them as they walked away.

**PKPKPK**

They walked in silence to Kurt's car. As they approached it, Kurt was the first to speak: "Please, say something?"

His voice was weak and still shaking. He had his arms wrapped around himself, almost in a protective gesture. Puck looked at him, and Kurt could see the outrage that was in his eyes. The bigger teen took one step forward and wrapped his arms around him, not caring if anyone was there to see.

Kurt returned the hug, clinging on to Puck as if his life depended on it. Puck could feel the boy's arms around him, and he was happy he at least could feel safe around him. He rubbed his back comfortingly, and when they finally broke out of their embrace, they got into Kurt's car.

Kurt was sitting by the steering wheel, but as he was about to start the car, Puck noticed his hands were shaking. Puck put his hand on Kurt's, to try to make him stop shaking.

"I don't feel like driving right now," Kurt whispered, - "Will you…?"

Puck nodded. "Sure thing," he said, and gave Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek. They switched places and Puck got behind the steering wheel.

They had driven in silence for a few minutes when Kurt spoke: "I tried to rise above it… In there," he said, pointing behind him as if gesturing to the school.

"Well how fucking could you?"

Kurt was taken aback by the sudden outburst and Puck realized what he had said could be taken the wrong way. His hand quickly went to Kurt's shoulder and he held it there, stroking him occasionally. "I mean," he said, - "How were you supposed to stay calm when they were yelling at you like that?"

Kurt shook his head. "What Rachel called me…," he said, - "That's what that guy said… The guy who raped me…"

Puck looked at him and nodded. "I figured as much," he said.

They were silent for a few more minutes, and this time it was Puck's turn to break the silence: "Well, don't fucking listen to him! And don't listen to her either!"

Kurt nodded vaguely, his gaze drawn to his hands. "I try," he said, - "But I still can't shake off that feeling… Like it was my fault…"

"Well, it wasn't, alright?" Puck said, still sounding pissed.

Kurt was silent. "It wasn't your fucking fault, Kurt," Puck said, a little calmer this time, - "Now, how many times do I have to tell you that? And hell, if you're a slut, then what does that make me?"

Kurt gave a soft chuckle, and even though it didn't sound happy, Puck knew it was real. Kurt nodded. "Thank you, Puck," he said, - "It's stupid, I know…"

Puck shook his head, letting his hand go from Kurt's shoulder to his hand, gripping it firmly. Even though he had to pay attention to the road, Kurt knew he was meaning to stare directly at him.

"No it's not stupid, Kurt," he said, holding onto his hand, - "I just need you to know that whatever that asshole said to you while he was…" he couldn't finish, - "You know… Whatever he said, you shouldn't believe him."

Kurt was silent for a few minutes. "I try," he said again.

**PK**

When they approached Kurt's house they both got out of the car. They got inside and stood there for a moment. "So…," Puck said a little uncomfortable, - "Shall we watch a movie, or…?"

"I'd like to just go to bed," Kurt said truthfully, - "You can join in if you want to, I mean… I've shared a bed with you before."

Puck nodded. "Cool," he said.

They walked upstairs, to Kurt's room and Kurt quickly changed into his pajamas. Puck mockingly blocked his eyes as Kurt's pants came off and he was in his boxers. "We have been swimming together, Puck," Kurt said matter-of-factly.

Puck chuckled. "I know," he said before he got on the bed.

Kurt joined him as soon as he was dressed in his pajamas. He lay down under the covers, facing Puck as the bigger boy wrapped his arms around him. He received a soft kiss to his temple. They lay there for a while, just listening to the breaths of one another, before Puck asked softly: "You OK, baby?"

Kurt shrugged vaguely. "I don't know," he said, - "I'm thinking…"

"About that day?" Puck asked.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "It was so terrifying… I was crying, begging him not to do it, but he didn't care… He hurt me."

Puck nodded as he shifted, letting the boy rest on his arm, keeping a close distance but still being able to look at each other. He stroked Kurt's cheek softly. "I know, babe," he said. There was another break. "Wanna talk about it some more?" Puck asked.

Kurt shifted a bit and looked at him. "Yeah," he whispered, - "I can do that."

Puck stroked his arm as he said: "Tell me about that day Kurt," he looked up into his boyfriend's eyes, - "Tell me everything. Not just what happened but how you felt after as well."

Kurt nodded and got comfortable on his boyfriend's arm. "He was so intimidating…," Kurt explained, - "He had this… authority about him, that just made him so horrifying. You know you had to do what he told you to. So that's why I obliged to everything he demanded of me… He almost didn't prepare me at all. It hurt so badly, it felt like I was being ripped apart, physically and emotionally. He muttered some words when he was raping me. Calling me a faggot, a slut, a whore, telling me I should like this… And when I… reacted to what he did to me, he said the body didn't lie and that this was proof I deserved what I got."

Puck shook his head and stroked Kurt's cheek. "Do you realize how strong you are to get through this the way you have?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm not," he denied.

"You are," Puck insisted, putting pressure on every word just to get his point out, while looking into his boyfriend's gorgeous eyes, - "You've dealt with this on your own all this time, and you never lost your grip… Didn't you ever wanna just forget and oppress?"

Kurt seemed to think for a while, before admitting: "Yes… At some point I did… Look, I need to tell you the whole thing… What happened after as well, if that would be OK?"

Puck nodded and delivered a kiss to the countertenor's shoulder. "OK," he said. He never liked hearing Kurt talk about what happened to him, but he still knew he needed to hear it. This boy was definitely his complete weakness. He'd take a bullet for him anytime, he knew that.

Kurt took a deep, somewhat shaky breath, and let it out slowly, in the same shaking manner. Puck looked at him, a concerned look resting on his features. He stroked his boyfriend's shoulder gently, whispering: "You can do this, baby."

Kurt nodded, giving away a weak smile. "Yeah," he agreed.

A short break passed, before Kurt started speaking: "When he had…" he flinched slightly, - "When _we _had…"

"There's no 'we' in this, Kurt," Puck interrupted, - "There's a sick rapist whose balls are gonna be cut off as soon as he gets out of that fucking prison."

"I came Puck," Kurt insisted, - "Nothing can change that. It happened. I'm always gonna be ashamed of it."

It was Kurt's way of saying 'end of story' and Puck wasn't having it. He propped himself up on his elbow, looking down on his boyfriend, who had refused looking at him. Puck still noticed how his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.

Puck thought about being firm or angry or upset in his way of speaking, but he let it go as he saw the look on his boyfriend's face. "Kurt, look at me," he said softly.

Kurt turned his head slowly. Puck continued: "You gotta believe me when I say that it didn't matter how you reacted… This guy forced himself on you, Kurt. You had nothing to do with it. You were fifteen, and he raped you. He ruined something for you, Kurt… He took what was supposed to be the best moment of your life, and turned it into the worst. You are completely innocent when it comes to this, Kurt. Completely. So therefore there's no 'we' in this case when it comes to what was being done. OK?"

Kurt looked at him, his lip quivering slightly, before he wrapped his arms around his neck, sobbing softly. "Thank you, Puck," he whispered, and Puck just held him tightly, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"It wasn't your fault, baby," he hushed, - "Not your fault."

Kurt nodded and after a long while, he finally pulled away and continued talking: "After he finished…," he said, noticing Puck's assuring smile, and better yet noticing that he was paying attention, - "He just stood there… behind me. Waiting for what felt like hours before he pulled out."

A painful frown appeared on Kurt's features, as the memory flashed before his eyes. - "I felt so dirty, so used and broken. I remember falling to the ground immediately. I was shivering, and he just stood there, watching me with this evil, sadistic look on his eyes. I remember crying and yelling at him. I remember yelling, or more like, crying: 'I hate you', over and over again, and it just made him laugh."

Puck held a firm grip on his hand, and he squeezed it. "At least you had the balls to tell him off," he smiled, and Kurt gave a vague chuckle.

"Not much to be proud of," he said, - "I felt like a freaking rag doll. He just grabbed me and put my clothes back on, making some lousy comments on how devastating it was to dress me again. I was just crying. I couldn't even move, I was hurting everywhere. It was so humiliating."

"So what happened after?" Puck asked, - "Did it just leave you there, or?"

"It?" Kurt asked, a little startled.

"Yeah," Puck said, as if wondering why Kurt was even surprised, - "Don't make me refer to that… whatever it was, as human cause I won't."

Kurt chuckled softly. "OK," he said, - "And no, he didn't. He pulled me to my feet, roughly, it made me cry out a bit and he told me to shut up. Someone could hear us. He brought me to his car and told me he would take me home. While we were seated he asked me if my dad was home yet and when I just shook my head he said that it was good, but it wouldn't make a difference either way. No one was going to believe me if I told, and if they did, they would understand that I had wanted it. Begged for it. I know it's messed up but he made me believe it was all my fault…" He took a short break and snuggled closer to his boyfriend, - "He fondled me all the while home. It was so humiliating. I told him no, but he wouldn't listen. When I got home I just took a shower and decided to forget about the whole thing, pretend like it didn't happen. When I got out of the shower I threw up for about half an hour and then I went to bed. Slept until the next morning."

Puck frowned. "Didn't your dad wonder what was wrong?"

"Did he ever," Kurt said, -"Insisted I was sick and should stay at home from school. So I did. It was a good idea, actually. Got me to thinking. I realized then that I had a choice, and you know… That choice gave me back some sense of control that I had lost. I realized I had to really digest everything, to never in my life think of suppressing. And if I couldn't do that, I would have to tell someone. No matter how they would look at me after… So I went along and I went through everything on my own. Really thought it through. Did a lot of crying, but I got through it."

Puck nodded, stroking his head, twirling his hair in his fingers and joined him completely on the pillows. "And…," Kurt whispered, looking at Puck, taking his face in his hands, - "When finally I told someone… I wasn't met with anything of what I had been afraid of, or what that man promised me. No blame, no reason to feel ashamed. Nothing. Thanks to you, Puck."

Puck gave him a smile and pressed his lips to his, tucking him in under the covers with him, letting his tongue slip into his mouth. Kurt nibbled slightly on it, and Puck was always amazed by how much of a good kisser Kurt was.

"Damn Kurt," Puck breathed, when their make-out session was over. He gave a chuckle, and wrapped his arms around the boy.

A soft silence fell upon them, before Puck broke it: "I'm gonna make love to you some day, you know."

Kurt shifted and looked at him for a while. "I know," he nodded.

Puck smiled. "One day," he said, - "When you're ready, I'm gonna invite you to my place. My mom and sister will be gone at some relative's place, and we will have the house to ourselves. We will have everything perfectly planned. I will even use protection, believe it or not."

Kurt had to laugh at that. "And then we will have dinner. I'm a great cook actually. And you will be more anticipated than nervous, and I will have made everything all romantic and shit just the way you like it. We will have candles and music and it will be so fucking amazing. We're gonna lay on the bed and I'm gonna prepare you until you're god damn screaming for me."

Kurt laughed even more now. "Puckerman, god bless your screwed up mind."

"Doesn't have to have a screwed up mind to want to make love to you, sweet cheeks," Puck stated, and Kurt blushed at the nickname.

Puck continued with his story: "And then I will make love to you. Gently as ever. I will make up for all the damage that Shithead McFuckface put you through and then some. You deserve the best, baby. But all of this," he looked at Kurt, - "Will happen when you are absolutely ready. Not a minute earlier."

Kurt smiled at him and kissed him once more. "I love you," he said, not really thinking. Shit. Had he really said that? Oh god. What if Puck didn't say he loved him back? What if he had totally screwed up everything?

Puck was silent, taking his time to really process what the boy had said. He loved him? Was he seriously loved by the world's most beautiful creature or was his mind playing tricks on him? it wasn't. this was real. Kurt Hummel loved him and his life was fucking beautiful. Wait. He needed to say something!

"I love you too, baby!" he said, before pulling Kurt into another heated make-out session, - "So, so, so much," he mumbled between the kisses.

The two boys fell asleep on Kurt's bed for the second time of their lives that afternoon. Puck had his arms wrapped firmly around Kurt, never willing himself to let him go.

He loved him more than he thought he ever could be capable of, and he loved him back. Life was just fucking beautiful.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So here's the chapter for the Prom Queen episode. Lots of drama! Please enjoy and review!**

Puck woke up, a bit disoriented. He still got a hit of reality as he realized he was in his boyfriend's bed, with his boyfriend, still sleeping contently at his side. Puck didn't have the heart to wake him up, so he just joined him back on the pillows for a while, not caring to check what time it was. It could be midnight, it could still be afternoon, it could be almost morning, but Puck didn't care. He wrapped his arms slowly around his boyfriend, still careful not to wake him up, and nuzzled his neck for a bit, before trying to sleep again.

It was a lost cause. He didn't know why, but there was something about the way Kurt looked when he was sleeping that only served to make Puck want to watch him for the rest of his life. He looked so peaceful. He was a quiet sleeper, only soft breaths coming from him that could only be heard if you were very close.

His long eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks which had a slight blush to them. Puck resisted the urge to kiss one of them. Kurt shifted after a while, turning against Puck, snuggling closer to him, wrapping his arms around him. "Mmmm," he moaned softly. The next words were more like a murmur but they made Puck want to pinch himself just to see if he wasn't dreaming as he heard them: "Love you so much…"

He didn't bother resisting the urge anymore; he just leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Kurt twisted again and his eyes started fluttering vaguely. Suddenly they were wide open, resting on Puck and Puck couldn't do anything but get lost in them. They were so big, bright, so beautiful and so innocent.

"Morning," he said and Kurt gave a sweet smile.

"Good morning," he answered, snuggling closer. Puck didn't complain.

"Did I wake you?" Puck asked.

Kurt shook his head. "No, don't think so."

Puck smiled. "Good," he said. There was a pause before Puck asked: "How are you feeling?"

Kurt smiled vaguely. "I'm good," he answered, pulling his boyfriend into a passionate kiss. "You mean so much to me," he simply said.

Puck gave a soft sigh, wondering how he would be able to tell the boy how much he meant to him as well, but as extremely, annoyingly cheesy as it sounded, there really were no words to describe. It was cool, though. He was sure Kurt knew.

"What time is it?" Kurt asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Puck shrugged. "Don't know."

"Shit!" Kurt muttered as he got up from the bed, running over to his desk where his phone was located. He let out a relieved sigh when he realized it was only 3:12. His father wouldn't be home in a couple of hours.

"How much is it?" Puck asked, grinning stupidly at how adorable his boyfriend was.

"3:12," Kurt smiled and stretched, yawning.

Puck nodded and watched very subtly (shut up, he was an extremely subtle person when it came to glaring… shut up!) as his boyfriend stepped out of his pajamas and dressed himself. He simply loved how Kurt's clothes were always so tight and form-fitting. They embraced his body perfectly in every single way, in all the right places. Kurt had long since put the pounds he lost while Karofsky was bullying him back on track. And Puck loved every single thing about him.

Kurt suddenly looked at him. "What you did in there… In school today," he said seriously.

Puck gave him a gesture to go on.

"I love that you did that for me, but people will start spreading even more rumors about us, about _you_ now."

Puck gave a content sigh at his boyfriend's always so caring behavior. "Baby," he said, walking up to the smaller boy, planting a sweet kiss on his lips, - "Don't worry about it. I think the rumors will stop now anyway, now that Sam reacted so harshly."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "I think you might be right," he said, smiling.

"I think I am right," Puck answered, ruffling his boyfriend's hair.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

There had to be something wrong with Jacob Ben Israel. Had to be. He seriously had the balls to stand there, right up in the face of one Noah Puckerman, cross-examining him about some weird rumor that was going on around the school. And the worst part was, believe it or not, not what Puck had been ready for: "Are you gay?", it was: "Is Lauren Zizes the lead of your relationship" or "Are you whipped by Lauren Zizes?" or some weird shit only Jacob Ben Israel could come up with.

Seriously, the guy never seized to shut the fuck up about anything.

Puck was a little worried about the prom king and queen results, that being said. He actually really needed the prom king title, now more than ever, before the rumors started that he was dating Kurt. He stopped to think for a moment.

He was dating Kurt. That was still the weirdest, yet most amazing fact of the universe. Total proof opposites attract, and they still managed having the best kind of chemistry.

Puck knew deep down inside that he shouldn't care so much about his popularity, but he needed it now more than ever, just to save his ass. He certainly didn't want to be outed at school.

He was grateful to have Kurt these days. Even though Kurt would love it if Puck didn't care for popularity, he realized the boy had his reasons, and he respected them. Puck had no words how grateful he was for that, and when he one day had told Kurt how grateful he was for his patience, Kurt had just shrugged it off like it was nothing and said: "Well, it's a small price to pay seeing how much you've done for me lately."

Puck knew there was a billion arguments he could raise against that statement, but he didn't bother. Kurt wouldn't have it.

The week before prom went surprisingly fast. So fast neither Puck nor Kurt even got the time to realize what was going on with their fellow Glee club members and their preparations for prom, even though Kurt had hung out with the girls the other day, looking for prom dresses. He had basically been the judge as to whether or not the dresses fit them.

Kurt had also noticed Mercedes being a little off about not having a date for prom, but by the mid-week, it seemed like Rachel and Sam had taken care of it.

As for Kurt, he didn't have a date either, and at some point he really contemplated not going, but all the girls, and later Puck had convinced him otherwise.

"But what the hell will I be doing there anyway?" Kurt had asked his boyfriend when they were alone after gym.

"You're kinda sexy when you're frustrated," Puck commented.

"I'm serious, Puck," Kurt said, - "I don't have a date, what will I be doing there?"

"Dance with Brittany," Puck chuckled at the thought. He was in an awfully good mood today.

"Seriously, Puck."

Puck let out a sigh and pulled his towel together and put it in his bag. "Here's the deal, Princess," he said, making Kurt blush completely against his will at the old nickname, - "Zizes knows everything that's going on between us, remember?"

Kurt nodded slowly, not really wanting to think about the kiss that had been shared between her and Puck. He'd forgiven his boyfriend for whatever happened, that wasn't it, but she still made him sort of uncomfortable. But hell, she made everyone uncomfortable!

"So," Puck continued, moving closer, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waste, leaning against his boyfriend, his lips brushing against his lips as he whispered in a sensual voice, - "That means I will be paying a _lot _of attention to you."

"At a prom? At McKinley? In front of your homophobic team mates from the football team?"

Puck chuckled. "When we're with them we can just hang out casually. And then we can go outside for a while or have some heated make-out sessions at a bathroom or something."

Kurt wrinkled his nose at the thought of the men's room, but his boyfriend's promises were too sweet for him to comment. He looked at him, smiled and nodded. "OK, I'll go," he said.

Puck leaned back and gave him a quick kiss. "Awesome."

**PKPKPK**

During the rest of the week Puck was busy trying to help Artie get Brittany back, which was doomed to fail. She was hopelessly devoted to Santana, anyone could see that. Even Artie, even though he would still not give up.

Santana's Bullywhips group was paying off like never before, and Puck was confused by the bizarreness of Kurt having Karofsky following him wherever he went. He could deal with Santana, but he pretty much still wanted to punch Karofsky's face off whenever he saw him.

Friday at school, however, Kurt approached Puck at lunch and sat down by his table. "'Sup, babe?" Puck whispered, careful not to let anyone here, but still so seductive Kurt started shivering slightly.

Kurt just shrugged casually, though. "Karofsky apologized just now," he said, with a confused facial expression.

Puck's eyes widened remarkably. "What?" he could only ask.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't get it either."

"What did he say?" Puck asked, - "Did he, like, mean it?"

Kurt looked him. "You know," he said, - "I think he really did. He started…" he paused, - "Crying and apologized to me for what he did."

He gave a shrug again.

"You forgive him?"

Kurt looked straight at him. "Yes," he said, - "Yes, I forgive him."

It was apparent he had made up his mind. Still, Kurt expected some frustrating looks or warnings from his boyfriend or at least some reasons why he shouldn't forgive his former tormentor, but the response Kurt got was unexpected:

"Have you forgiven me?"

Kurt looked at him and for a moment he looked like the most confused creature on Earth. "Baby, what are you talking about?"

Kurt rarely threw any nicknames at Puck, only when he thought his boyfriend was being insane. Now was definitely one of these moments.

Almost looking angry, Puck nearly yelled out: "Look, we both know how I treated you in the past has been a huge elephant in the room since we got together!"

Worried, Kurt glanced across the cafeteria, and when he noticed no one had probably heard, he took the time to take in what his boyfriend had said.

"Puck, that doesn't mean anything." He wanted to sound casual but he sounded more passionate than he had meant to.

"The hell it doesn't," Puck argued, - "I was a total ass to you before I joined Glee. And I joined in sophomore year, which means I was a total dick to you throughout your freshman year."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, I had much bigger problems to deal with in freshman year anyway."

"Exactly," Puck muttered.

Kurt looked at him and frowned. "What did you say?"

"I said exactly," Puck said, nearly yelling again, - "It's not fair, Kurt." He took a break to think of what to say, before he spoke up again: "Look, we both know I'm not the kind of guy to apologize for the shit I've done, but I'm really sorry. OK?"

Kurt's shoulders sank a little, and he fell back slightly in his chair. He shook his head, stating: "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"You forgive me or not?" Puck asked, looking right into his boyfriend's eyes this time.

Kurt leaned forward again, placing his arms on the table, having them so close to Puck's they were almost, _almost, _touching.

"Of course I forgive you," he said, - "That didn't mean anything. I've been used to that kind of treatment since elementary school, it's fine."

Puck sighed and nodded. "OK, good," he said, - "I was just… checking."

Kurt gave a soft smile. "OK," he said.

**PKPKPKPK**

Puck and Kurt were at Puck's place, getting ready for prom. Puck had in reality offered to give Lauren a ride, but seeing as she apparently was an independent woman who could get to the prom all by herself, Puck decided to spend some quality time with his boyfriend instead. Besides, he could use some advice on his outfit.

Kurt had, for whatever reason Puck couldn't really comprehend, decided to wear a kilt. "Finn stated it was like gay 'Braveheart'," he had explained.

"Way to go, taking fashion advice from Finn. I thought your standards were higher than that," Puck had commented, but Kurt knew he was joking.

And Puck really was. Hell, the boy was working the kilt like no one else could. Puck only said a silent prayer that he wouldn't get in trouble for his rather flamboyant outfit. He knew it made him a pussy, but he just couldn't handle seeing his boyfriend hurt any more than he already had.

He didn't have the heart to make Kurt aware of the dangers, though. He just couldn't disappoint him. He looked so proud of his outfit, after all, he had every right to, and he seemed so happy, Puck just couldn't.

Besides, if anyone were to make fun of him, Puck would have his back. He didn't even hesitate to have his back anymore. That was as natural as the air they breathed.

So therefore he just gave his boyfriend a light kiss, saying: "You look gorgeous, baby", before checking him out and making a comment: "You have really hot legs by the way."

Kurt blushed at this and it was the most adorable thing ever. In that exact moment, Puck was angry because he didn't have the guts to even take his boyfriend to the problem. He wanted to bring the issue off, but he was well aware of the fact that if he did, it would totally ruin the mood.

He did have a lot of flaws, but when it came to Kurt, he for once in his life wanted to do something perfectly right, with no flaws attached, as far as that was possible.

Puck had gone for casual; black shirt, black pants, with a white jacket. "You look really hot too," Kurt commented.

Puck grinned. "Always," he teased, making Kurt roll his eyes.

They didn't have a lot of time at the Puckerman household before they had to go, both in Puck's car.

"What do we say when people see we arrive together?" Puck asked, making Kurt grin at his cluelessness.

"We will just say that there was something wrong with my car if anyone asks," he smiled.

Puck nodded. "Cool," he said, - "I promise I won't leave you hanging all night. This night's gonna be great for both of us."

Kurt believed him.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

They arrived at prom, noticing to their relief that there were a very few people outside and those who were didn't seem to care that Puck and Kurt arrived together. They did, however, react slightly to Kurt's choice of outfit, but they didn't make a comment. He had showed up to school in way more attention-drawing clothing through the years.

Besides, it was apparent to everyone that Puck and Kurt had grown a lot closer lately, and they were afraid to comment because they knew that a glare from Puck could mean the death of them. That way they were both safe, at least from the less intelligent part of the student body, who didn't quite know how the blackmail process worked.

As they entered the gymnastic hall, the prom had already started. People were dancing already, paying attention to each other. Only some people glared vaguely at Kurt and Puck, but they were too busy minding their own business to care to make a comment. Both Puck and Kurt were grateful.

When they had reached the middle of the floor, and made themselves as comfortable as possible, as well as having put on their 'casual-hanging-out'-façade, Puck realized he had to go get ready for his performance. He was, as lame as that sounded, going to sing "Friday" by no other than Rebecca Black, with Sam and Artie, and he had a feeling it would be an… interesting experience.

"Look, there's Mercedes," Puck said to Kurt, - "Go hang with her. I'll be right back after my performance."

Kurt smiled widely, wished his secret boyfriend good luck and went to sit by his best friend.

"Hi 'Cedes," he said, noticing something was up with her, - "Is everything OK?"

She smiled weakly, and looked at her best friend. Then she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," she said.

"Don't lie to me," Kurt said immediately.

Mercedes shook her head. "I don't know," she said, - "All this time, ever since my crush on you went downhill," she gave Kurt a fierce look, - "I have convinced myself I don't need a boyfriend or a date…"

"But it's still lonely?" Kurt asked.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. There was a break before she started speaking again: "Can you keep a secret?"

Kurt nodded. "Sure," he said. He happened to be very good at keeping secrets.

"I've had all these feelings lately," Mercedes explained, - "For Sam, and I know there's no chance in hell he will ever return those feelings, but…"

She shook her head. "Forget it," she said, - "You wouldn't understand."

Kurt was going to argue, but then an announcing voice beat him to it, and yelled something about Puck and Sam and Artie performing "Friday" by Rebecca black and "let the party begin", so Kurt, sad to say, started enjoying his boyfriend's hotness instead. I mean, how could you not?

When the song was done and Rachel took the stage, Puck jumped right off stage and practically ran, possibly a little too obviously, over to Kurt and Mercedes' table. "Hey Kurt," he said, a dreamy look resting on his features, which put the most skeptical look ever on Mercedes' face. "Aretha," Puck grinned, and Mercedes rolled her eyes at the nickname.

Despite everything, Kurt gave his boyfriend a stern look. Puck shrugged and threw out his arms in a "what the fuck did I do?"-gesture.

Kurt turned to Mercedes, smiled and said: "You look incredible Mercedes. Now, go ask Sam to dance. He won't say no."

"Totally," Puck broke in, as Mercedes and even Kurt had forgotten that he was even there, - "He's totally into you. He was checking out that fine booty of yours all the time while performing."

Kurt's look turned if possible even sterner, but as Puck leaned in, whispering so lowly and hoarsely Mercedes had no chance of hearing anything, saying: "You look extremely hot too, you know.", his look disappeared quickly.

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't know guys," she said, - "But thanks anyway."

She took a deep breath. "Now, go have fun," she put on a somewhat fake smile, - "I'll keep my eyes on Sam."

Kurt rose up hesitantly and followed Puck wherever he was going. He stopped in his tracks after having been walking a few meters. "You sure, Cedes?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure," she smiled.

As they walked off, apparently heading for the hallways. Rachel started singing "Jar of Hearts," and Puck asked Kurt: "Think she knows anything?"

Kurt chuckled. "Don't know," he said, giving his boyfriend a sly smile, - "Maybe. But she won't tell anyone."

Puck nodded. "I know," he said. It was weird. All his life he had been living in this bubble, not being able to trust anyone, but now he felt like the entire Glee Club had his back no matter what he decided to do. It was a nice feeling getting used to that actually.

They approached the hallways as Puck suddenly attacked Kurt's neck with kisses. "Are you drunk?" Kurt nearly yelled, but he was far from complaining. He could feel Puck shake his head against his neck. "Only drunk on you babe," he mumbled between the kisses, and Kurt blushed as he remembered where he had heard that before.

Kurt grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. "I'm really glad we're an item now," he said, and Puck let out a heavy sigh and smashed his lips against the smaller boy's.

"Me too," he breathed heavily, as he treated his mouth as his property. Kurt gave into the kiss as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Puck lifted Kurt up a little, letting his hand move over his thigh. He looked into his boyfriend's eyes. "Tell me to stop and I will," he said.

Kurt shook his head. "Just continue," he said, as Puck continued rubbing his thigh, not letting his hand go further.

They were interrupted by Lauren who stood still in the hallway beside them all of a sudden. She coughed as lightly as she could. "They're announcing prom king and queen now," she said as if she didn't really care, - "Don't wanna miss your crowning, Puckerman."

Puck let go of Kurt, whispering: "Damn", in the sexiest voice Kurt had ever heard. Lauren just gave a crooked grin, probably satisfied of having seen two guys make out in the hallway of the rather lame and ordinary school.

When they walked into the gymnastic hall again, Puck patted Kurt's back as comradely he could when he had been sucking his neck off a few moments earlier, saying: "I gotta be with the nominees now. Be rooting for me, alright?"

Kurt nodded. Would he ever! Puck really was the sex shark of McKinley High and now he had happened to tame him just a little. What was more fantastic than that? Kurt looked back at the moment in the hallway, realizing he actually knew he wanted to go further with Puck. Maybe not now, but he had a feeling that day would be soon.

"And the 2011 McKinley high prom king is…," Mr. Figgins began, causing a breath-taking silence among all the students. That was probably the first time they had all been silent at the same time.

Kurt let his eyes wander from his boyfriend, who looked rather happy with himself up there, to Mercedes, who was now standing… in the arms of Sam! Kurt smiled widely at her, and she held her thumb up. Sam smiled at him. Kurt still appreciated how Sam had never made any sign of being uncomfortable around him.

Kurt started looking for Finn and Jesse, but they were nowhere to be seen. He didn't pay much attention to that; he was rather paying attention to Figgins who held the crowd waiting for an awfully long while.

"Noah Puckerman!" Figgins suddenly announced, and Kurt jumped a little too high for it not to be suspicious. The crowd was cheering as Puck went up and took his crown, wearing his perfect "I own your asses"-persona. Kurt almost had to roll his eyes had he not been so freakishly hot… And if he hadn't known how wonderful he was on the inside.

"And now," principal Figgins announced, - "The 2011 McKinley High prom queen is…"

Another silence appeared and Puck gave Lauren an assuring nod. They had this in their pockets. Santana stood proudly, giving Quinn a triumphant look and Quinn was as hard to read as always.

Kurt figured he couldn't really care less who became prom queen, even though he was rooting for Lauren. She knew there secret and she wouldn't try anything with his man.

Kurt looked up at principal Figgins, and saw that he had an odd facial expression. He didn't look like he was comfortable. His face was as made of stone.

Figgins opened his mouth slowly, the stone face present on his face, as he announced: "Kurt Hummel."

Kurt blinked rapidly a couple of times, before he slowly let the reality sink in. A thousand thoughts went through his mind, although it was hard to say if they were really thoughts or instinct reactions. A lot of them were questions. "How?" "When?" "Why?" "Who?" Everybody, he decided. Everyone had been a part of this. They were to fucking scared to say anything to his face, so they had to do it anonymously.

It hurt more than it angered him though. He knew this had nothing to do with his outfit, or with anything he could change at all. This had to do with his sexuality. That wasn't something he could control. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he didn't even bother wiping it away. He noticed all eyes on him, but he was a little too out of it to care.

He didn't know for how long he stood there, motionless. But he knew that he reacted when he saw the shocked look on his boyfriend's face as he motioned for principal Figgins, that coward, to hand him the queen's crown.

"Gimme that," he mouthed.

Figgins looked hesitant but even he was threatened by Puck's appearance. Kurt had no idea what Puck was about to, but he was surprised as Puck walked up to the microphone and snapped the queen's crown in two. Then he spoke: "Fucking. Cowards."

The crowd was still motionless. Kurt's facial expression changed a bit, along with the hurt and the humiliation Puck could see in his eyes, he now also found some admiration deep down inside, and he continued: "Yeah," he said, - "That's what you are. Cowards. Let me ask you a question, and I want an honest answer or I will find every single one of the guilty here and I will let them pay…"

His voice was so threatening it even scared Kurt a little. Puck continued: "Tell me: What has my boy… Kurt Hummel. What has he ever done to you?"

There was a silence and for a moment it looked like Puck was about to throw the mike stand across the room and leave it at that, before one of the jocks spoke up: "Come on, Puckerman," he said, and Puck gave him a death glare. The jock was stupid enough not to care: "You're not defending the fag, are you?"

Puck's eyes widened a bit. "OK," he said, nodding a bit, - "So that's what it is about, then? Well, fuck you all."

He looked across the room for some assistance. Most of his fellow Glee Club members had their eyes on Kurt, sympathetic looks resting on their faces. Sam looked at the jock, apparently ready to beat his ass if the opportunity stroke.

Puck looked behind himself for a moment, not finding Santana or Quinn there. They were probably upset because they weren't elected prom queens or some stupid shit like that. He couldn't care less at the moment. Only Lauren stayed, also looking ready to beat some asses.

"That what it is about," Puck continued, - "It's about Hummel being gay."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Are you seriously that stupid? Do you think he chose to be gay or something? Do you think that if he could avoid the humiliation and the hatred he is faced with for being who he is… If he could change that, don't you think he would do it?"

"Oh I get it!" the jock spoke up, - "You're a faggot yourself, aren't you Puckerman?"

Puck felt the urge to snap at him or just storm off stage and beat him to death, but his mind beat him to it. He had to be clever now. Therefore he just rolled his eyes. "That what you want me to say, huh?" Puck asked, totally playing his mind, - "That Hummel and I," he pointed between them, realizing the admiration in Kurt's eyes had grown wider, - "Have some secret relationship thing going on?"

The jock went silent. Perfect. He didn't really believe that. "Well, fine," Puck said, - "You'd probably get off on that anyway. We'd like you to join us of course, but even I have higher standards than that."

Puck stood silent for a moment. "Fuck you all," he said, as he calmly stepped off stage, heading for the spot where Kurt stood.

The crowd was silent for a while more, before Sue Sylvester broke out of her stoned posture, and gave a firm but probably heartfelt applause. She looked over at him and while her face was as emotionless as always, she gave him a wink as if to say he did a great job. Then Lauren and Sam followed, clapping almost at the same time. Then along went Rachel, just to create some drama probably. Mercedes, Artie, Brittany, Mike and Tina followed after, and then finally Mr. Schue and Coach Bieste.

Both Puck and Kurt knew that their approval was all he needed for now.

Puck looked into his boyfriend's eyes and said: "Let's get you home now, huh?"

Kurt nodded, and Puck knew he wanted to say a lot of things, but that he probably wasn't really sure how to put his words.

It was OK. Puck had patience.

**A/N: So, I really wanted Kurt's great comeback as it was in the episode, but this kind of went better with the story. You will get the aftermath of this event in the next chapter. Hope you all liked it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So this chapter has some Furt brotherly love going on, and to be honest, I cried while I wrote this chapter, because I am such a crybaby. Anyway; here's the next chapter! I've been sick, so I think it's pretty good to be written by a sick person who doesn't have English as her mother tongue or even lives in an English-speaking country. I went to England once, for four days, but that's the amount of my life that I have spent in an English-speaking country. Anyway, here's my slight AU from "Funeral"!**

It was the second time in two weeks that Puck had woken up in Kurt's house. He had happened to do that a lot lately, for various reasons. Not that he minded. Not at all.

The night before had been spent pretty quietly after the big shocker prom queen announcement. It had started with Kurt crying in Puck's arms in his car, followed by a quiet car ride back to Kurt's place. They had gone out, and sneaked into the Hudmel household as quietly as they could without waking anybody up, and down to Kurt's basement.

Puck had no idea of knowing how any of the Hudmels hadn't noticed that he had spent the night in Kurt's bed three times already, but be it.

Kurt had been sitting on his bed crying silently while Puck had taken a shower, and Puck knew something was up, seeing as his boyfriend didn't even react as he stepped out of the shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

Puck wondered about that as well, come to think of it. He didn't know why, but he got more and more sure that Kurt would soon be willing and ready to have sex with him, and the more sure he got of that fact, the closer that day seemed. But he wouldn't push. Not in a billion years would he push. Puck was just glad he could be his own sex-fixated self around his boyfriend without causing any tension… Other than sexual, perhaps.

When he had come out of the shower he had immediately joined Kurt on his bed. He had wrapped an arm around him and planted light, gentle kisses to his cheek, all the while tasting salty tears that kept falling from his eyes.

"You looked stunning tonight you know," Puck had said, but Kurt had shook it off.

"What's wrong with me?" he had said defeated, - "I should've known I couldn't dress like this at school."

"Kurt," Puck had said sternly, - "You looked amazing. Breathtaking, really. You were so amazing it threatened them and they had to bring you down. Don't you see that?"

Kurt hadn't answered. He had just lain down on his pillow, mumbling that he wanted to go to sleep and that Puck could go if he'd like.

Puck had shaken his head and told him that he was staying. Kurt had just tucked himself under the blankets, pulling his knees to his chest and Puck had gotten up, walked shamelessly into Finn's room (thankfully he wasn't home yet), grabbed a pair of sweatpants he never intended to return and lain down with his boyfriend, pulling him into his arms. Despite how devastated it made him seeing his boyfriend so sad, he loved the feeling of just protectively cradling him in his arms. It was like he belonged in his arms, that's how perfectly he fit in there.

And now he was lying there, when the clock had barely struck 8 a.m., having his boyfriend resting his head on his chest. He turned slightly to look at him. He still had tear streaks on his face and Puck gave a heavy sigh. He wished so badly that this encouraging pain his boyfriend was being constantly exposed to one day would end. One day soon, he hoped.

Just as he held that thought, the door knocked. Puck tensed, for whatever stupid, instinctive reason, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend as if to protect him. Damn, he had turned into a paranoid loser because of this guy and why didn't he care?

"Dude, you in there?" an extremely tired voice asked, and it only took Puck the third of a second to realize it was Finn. He let his head fall heavily back on the pillows, defeated. This would never be good… Wait a second. It's Finn at 8 in the morning… He wouldn't even be able to comprehend what was happening… Wait. Why was he knocking on Kurt's door at 8 in the morning?

As if he was a mind-reader, Finn said, or rather murmured: "My sweatpants are gone. Have you seen them?"

Puck had two choices: One, he could wake Kurt up and let him handle the situation, which was the most reasonable and thought-through thing to do. And two, he could take a chance and see if Finn would even be skeptical towards him being in Kurt's room. Hell, Finn was his best friend, and some risks he needed to take in this relationship.

Besides, Kurt looked so peaceful and content, Puck just didn't have the heart to wake him up. What the fuck was wrong with him? When did he become this person? Oh… never mind.

He slowly got out of bed, reached for the door and opened it. What the fuck had he been smoking?

Quite right, Finn stood in front of him, all dressed up in his tighty-whities. That was so not a sight Puck needed at 8 a.m. Just because he liked guys like Kurt, didn't mean he liked dudes like Finn. Ew… A shudder went down his spine at the thought.

He regarded his best friend's face, and a shocked look appeared on the taller boy's face. "Puckerman, why are you wearing my sweatpants?"

Puck's confusion was so enormous he didn't have the ability of answering. "What?" he asked.

"My sweatpants. Give 'em back. I need them."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously asking me to take off my _pants _in front of you?" he whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Finn asked groggily, apparently changing the subject really quickly.

"Because I'm seducing you," Puck mocked, - "What do you think? Not to wake Kurt up, of course."

For a moment Finn looked like he had been struck by lightning _(got the reference?). _He was just regarding his best friend with wide eyes.

"Dude, were you in bed with my brother?" he asked, sounding like this was way too much for him to handle in the morning.

Puck contemplated what to say for a moment, before the world's brightest idea appeared: "He was upset yesterday, I took him home and we crashed here. Big deal?"

Finn frowned. "No… I mean… I don't think so." To be frank, he looked like a ginormous question mark.

Puck looked at him, contemplating whether or not to say what he thought about saying: "I bet you don't want me to sleep in the same bed as your brother, wearing nothing but my boxers, do you?"

Finn looked confused and decided to avoid the question. Instead he decided to become Lawyer of the Year and responding to the question with a question: "Dude, what's been going on with you and Kurt lately?"

His tone was so serious Puck didn't even think of lying to him. Finn continued: "Look, I know this isn't my place, but you're my best friend and he's my brother and I just wanna know if there's any funny business between you, alright?"

Puck took a deep breath, chewed slightly on his bottom lip in a nervous manner, before finally asking his best friend: "Can you keep a secret?"

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

"So how long have you and Kurt been going at it?"

Finn and Puck had sat down by the kitchen table. Burt and Carole weren't up yet. It was nearing 9 a.m., and Finn had finally come to terms with the new fact he had been learning. It took him three bowls of cereals and a large amount of coffee to get there, but shit was finally making some sense to him.

Puck figured best thing from now on would be to just stay completely honest with his best friend. He was thankful his reaction hadn't been rapid or impulsive, like he had expected. It was rather calm and mature, especially for Finn.

"Since…," Puck contemplated for a long while how to put it, - "Since I was at your place playing video games and you ran off with Quinn."

Finn let out a brief sigh. "I don't know what to do about her anymore," he said, as if this was about him. Still, Puck was glad he decided to change the subject a little bit.

"It's Berry, huh?" he asked.

Finn nodded, dragging his hand across his face in defeat. "Yeah," he admitted, - "I don't know, I'm just still not over her."

Puck nodded thoughtfully. "You'll figure it out, dude," he said, and Finn just shrugged.

Finn went back to the main topic again: "If you hurt my brother, you'll die."

He had a dopey grin and Puck gave a relieved sigh at how well this was actually going. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said. He thought for a while before asking, not really sure if he wanted the answer: "How long have you been suspicious?"

"Since you stood up for him when I didn't," Finn answered immediately. Puck grinned slightly.

"Thought so."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Thankfully for Puck, Finn didn't tell anyone. He kept his mouth shut, something Puck was eternally grateful for even though he would never admit it out loud. After their conversation in the kitchen, Puck had gone up to Kurt's room again, woken him up and told him he had to run. Last thing he wanted was for Mr. Hummel to start asking a lot of questions.

Kurt had sat up in his bed as Puck explained that Finn now knew everything, and by the world 'everything', the boy went hysterical. "What do you mean everything? Puck, are you insane? He can't know what happened to me, it will send him to jail…" and Puck had to hush him down and tell him that Finn didn't know about any of that.

Kurt had calmed down at that, and started asking in that tender, caring voice of his if Puck was ok with this, and Puck had assured him that everything was fine. He should just go back to sleep.

It was as hard leaving Kurt that morning as it always was.

So no, Finn didn't tell anyone. Besides, the next week had much more to offer than news about Puck's sexuality either way.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The week started with Jesse St. James joining the New Directions just to help Mr. Schuester with the Nationals preparations. Puck and Kurt were seated contently beside each other, listening to Jesse going on and on about how Finn had no talent and while most of the guys in Glee Club were better singers than him, Mike Chang could at least dance. "You kind of sing and dance like a zombie who has to poop," he said, causing Puck to crack up, leaning against Kurt's shoulder. Kurt couldn't help but laugh either, but he at least tried to stay subtle about it. It didn't go unnoticed, though; Finn's head snapped behind him, and he gave the two a death glare, as if threatening to reveal them right then and there. Wisely, they shut up.

When Glee was finished that day, Finn was the first one to storm out of the choir room, seeming quite angry. Kurt looked concerned after him, and Puck gave him a look. "Think it upset him?" Kurt asked.

Puck shrugged. "Nah," he said, - "Finn's tough, it's OK."

Kurt wasn't so sure, so he got up from his chair and stormed after Finn in the hallway, having Puck following him, not so storming.

"Finn!" he yelled after his brother.

"What?" Finn spat, a little angrily.

"What's the matter?" Kurt asked a little more softly, pulling off a more mature persona. "Is it what Jesse said?"

Finn turned around, walking towards his stepbrother. When he was standing a couple of meters from him, he said: "Yeah, it is. You happy?"

He turned, about to walk away again, but Kurt stopped him. "Finn, wait," he said.

Puck had reached them now, but he stood a little more contently in the background, watching the scenario between the two brothers.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, throwing his arms out a little, - "Is that what you want to hear?"

Finn turned around again and took a deep sigh. "Why did you laugh, Kurt?" he asked, - "Puck I'd expected but you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know it would affect you like this."

"Well, you should," Finn yelled, - "The other week, when you were getting all that crap about sleeping with Sam… That hurt you. How would you feel if I started laughing back then?"

"Hey dude, that's different," came Puck's comment from the background.

"What the hell do you have to do with all of this?" Finn asked, before changing the subject: "Wait… How is that different?" He sounded annoyed.

"Drop it Puck," Kurt said softly, almost begging.

Puck shrugged. "Fine."

"No," Finn said, sounding a bit more concerned now, - "How is that different? Tell me! How is that any different than that Jesse kid coming in right before Nationals just to ruin my self-esteem?"

Kurt sighed deeply. "Not now, Finn," he said, - "I'll explain later." He said the last sentence, knowing that Finn wouldn't even remember this when they came home.

Finn looked confused, but then he just shook his head. "I have no idea what this is about," he said, - "But fine."

Kurt sighed relieved when Finn walked away.

Puck came up from behind him. "Planning on telling him?" he asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Nah," he said, - "He won't remember anything by this afternoon anyway. He has a very bad memory."

"I'm not so sure," Puck said, - "He seemed kind of worried about you."

Kurt turned around and gave his boyfriend a content smile. "Just because you spend all your time worrying about me doesn't mean everybody else do the same," he said, causing a chuckle out of Puck.

They walked down the hallways for a while, careful not to touch each other just in case, even though it was hard not to. "I think you should tell him," Puck said. Kurt looked at him. "I know," Puck said, - "It's not my place to have an opinion, but I think Finn would be better off knowing what happened to you."

Kurt frowned. "You think?" he asked, as if his boyfriend was totally insane, - "Have you met Finn? He probably doesn't even know how a guy can be raped by another guy, let alone how it actually goes down. I would have to go to detail just like I did with you, and doing that with him would just be awkward."

Puck shrugged. "Your call," he said, - "I just think you should."

"Well, you're wrong," Kurt said stubbornly, walking away from his boyfriend in the hallway.

Puck just let out a defeated sigh. He knew his boyfriend would come around eventually.

**PKPK**

Kurt entered his house that afternoon, slamming the door shut in the process, heading for his room, but stopping himself as he heard Finn's voice calling for him: "Kurt?"

His voice wasn't calling or naïve as it usually was. It was rather calm and collected, and that scared Kurt a little.

"Yes?" he asked, trying to sound as natural as possible. Damn, what if Puck had been right?

"I need to talk to you," Finn said. Kurt figured his voice came from the kitchen, so he went there. Finn was seated by the kitchen table, not eating anything, which was very odd for Finn. He was just folding his hands contently in front of him.

"I've been thinking about what you and Puck said," he explained, - "And I know it's stupid but I kind of got worried."

"Why?" Kurt asked, still trying and failing to sound casual.

Finn shook his head, shrugging. "I don't know," he said, - "Brotherly instincts, maybe."

"Well, you're not my brother by blood, so that makes absolutely no sense," Kurt said, knowing he was maybe a little too harsh.

Instead of seeming offended or hurt, Finn just offered Kurt to take a seat. Kurt sat down across the table. They sat there in silence for a while, a bunch of thoughts flowing around in Kurt's mind, contemplating whether or not he should just tell him. Part of him wanted to.

"I know what you want to know," he said, and Finn looked up. Kurt continued: "You wanna know why I acted so strangely two weeks ago."

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, I'm a little curious," he said.

Kurt took a deep breath. "First you have to promise me not to tell anything to dad and Carole."

Finn frowned. "Is it that bad?"

Kurt let out a sigh. "Just promise, OK?"

"OK," Finn said.

Kurt nodded, inhaled sharply and said: "In freshman year, something went down…" He kept staring at his own hands while talking, - "My dad had this regular costumer who seemed interested in me."

Finn frowned, obviously not realizing where this was going yet. "Interested in you? How old was he?"

"Middle-aged. About forty I guess, but that's not the point."

Finn looked grossed out.

"God Finn," Kurt said shakily, - "I don't know if you're ready to hear all this."

"Forget about me, Kurt," Finn said more firmly than Kurt had ever heard him.

Kurt nodded. "OK," he said, - "One day on my way home from school, he arrived by my side in his car, asking me to take him to the nearest gas station. I know it's stupid but I went with him, and as we arrived at the gas station, he… Brought me out of the car, took me to the basement, where he raped me. I was too young and naïve and afraid to do anything."

Kurt's eyes were shining with unshed tears. Finn looked at him with his mouth hanging open. He opened it and shut it a couple of times, before Kurt said: "Please, say something…"

Finn got up from the table slowly, breathing heavily now. "I think I need some air," he said, running towards the terrace door, opening it and running outside.

"Finn!" Kurt yelled after him, not unlike the way he had did earlier that day.

Finn was standing out on the terrace, still breathing heavily. He looked like he was either going to be sick or beat someone. Maybe both.

"Finn," Kurt said calmer as he approached him on the terrace. Carefully he put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's OK," he said, looking up at the much taller boy. Finn didn't look at him. He had his eyes drawn to the road as if there was something there to get his senses back together.

"I couldn't do anything to stop him," Kurt said silently.

Finn looked at him now. "Where's my baseball bat? I'm gonna kill that guy and I'm getting the entire football team with me!"

He ran inside the house again, heading for his room, apparently being serious. Again Kurt ran after him. "Finn, stop!" he said firmly, - "Finn, get back here!"

He was standing in the living room, reminding Finn of his mother for a few seconds. He didn't dare doing anything but what he was told when Kurt was in this state, although he would never admit that to a living soul.

He went down to the living room, approaching Kurt. "Sorry I freaked out," he said.

Kurt smiled carefully. "It's OK," he said truthfully.

"How many people know?" Finn asked.

"Just me and Puck… And the guy obviously."

Finn nodded slowly. "Where's the guy now?"

"Prison," Kurt said, - "Won't get out before sixty years have passed. Sexual conduct with several minors."

Finn gave another short nod. Then he brought his hand to his forehead as if getting nauseous, and sat down in one of the chairs, looking up at Kurt.

"How did Puck react?" Finn asked.

Kurt gave a sad smile. "He was angry beyond belief of course… But mostly he was just devastated."

Finn took some time to process it all, before asking: "He ain't been pressuring you into anything?"

"Not at all," Kurt said immediately, - "He says everything's gonna happen on my permissions."

Now it was Finn's turn to give a sad smile. To be honest, that didn't quite sound like the best friend he knew, but he had a feeling Puck was as protective of Kurt as he was of his sister, and that was saying something.

"He loves you," Finn prompted and Kurt chuckled quietly.

"Yeah guess so," he said with a small shrug.

Finn let out a frustrated sigh. "What did he do? Puck… When you'd told him."

Kurt thought back to the night they got together. A content smile rested on his features as he said: "It was the same night we got together. When I told him I was so afraid of what he would think. I still had that feeling it was partly my own fault. And he made me sure it wasn't, and then he just held me until we fell asleep."

"Wait…," Finn said, - "Why would you think it was your fault?"

"Because…," Kurt began, but he couldn't finish, - "Nothing," he said, - "You wouldn't understand."

"I'm not that stupid, Kurt," Finn said, - "I know none of this was your fault, no matter what."

Kurt walked over to another chair and sat down. He took a deep breath. "He made me come," he said, his voice shaking a little, - "That's why…"

He was looking at his hands again, still not quite able to get rid of the guilt. He was waiting for some dumb questions or judgmental fraises from his brother.

It took quite a while before Kurt heard Finn's voice, barely above a whisper: "Oh, Kurt…"

He looked up, meeting his brother's eyes. Finn's voice carried nothing but comfort in it, and it touched something within Kurt to know that he had his support.

"You can't blame yourself for that," Finn said, - "Hell, guys arrive too early all the time, that's the same thing." He paused. "Or," he said, - "Not the same thing, but… You know, it's similar… It's not something you can control."

Kurt smiled a little wider. He now had two sources confirming the opposite of what his rapist had tried to intoxicate his mind with. Two sources that were more experienced than himself and less twisted than the opposite source.

"Thank you, Finn," Kurt said. There was a break before he said: "I'm really glad you're my brother."

Finn got up from his chair at that moment, making Kurt get up as well. Then he walked towards his brother, and wrapped him into a somewhat awkward but mostly loving hug.

Kurt relaxed into his brother's arms. "So am I," Finn said, rubbing his back a little, before both of them broke apart.

"You know," Finn said, - "I would usually offer to make you something right now but all I know how to cook is mac & cheese and I know that's not really your thing."

"Forget about it," Kurt said, - "I'll gladly have mac & cheese with you."

Finn revealed his dopey grin and Kurt was glad to see it back on his face. "Awesome," Finn commented.

They walked back to the kitchen. Kurt sat down by the kitchen table while Finn started making mac & cheese in silence. Kurt knew he was going over everything he'd learned that day in his head and he decided to give him the peace he needed. When the food was ready, Kurt asked softly: "Still promise you won't tell anyone?"

Finn looked hesitant before nodding. "Yeah," he said, - "I can do that."

Kurt nodded, taking a bite of his mac & cheese. God, he hardly ever had junk food but when he did, it was amazing. "Thank you," he smiled.

He was rather satisfied by how well this had gone down after all. He still didn't think Finn _needed_ to know, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable when he did. Suddenly he came to remember Puck, and he immediately felt bad. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and messaged his boyfriend:

"_Sry about everything. I told Finn and he's the best brother ever! U were right."_

The answer came almost immediately:

"_I'm always right ;) Glad everything's good, gorgeous. 3 u."_

Kurt let out a content sigh. Life was beautiful.

When the two brothers had finished their meals and Finn had taken it upon himself to wash the dishes before their parents came home, his phone vibrated.

"You have friends," Kurt prompted.

Finn chuckled. "Mr. Schue," he chuckled, - "Wait, what does he want?"

He read through the message and his eyes suddenly got some sadness to them.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked from the table, standing up and walking over to Finn.

"Read," Finn said, handing Kurt his phone. The message read:

"_Hey guys. Just wanted to tell you if Sue's been acting a bit strange this week, it's because her sister passed away yesterday. Found out today at work. So just try to be nice to her this week, even though it might be difficult. See you all tomorrow. – Mr. S."_

Kurt's eyes got wide for a second. "Oh my god," he whispered. Not that he and Jean were close. He had never met the woman, for god's sake, but having lost his mother at an early age, but not so early he didn't understand what was going on at the time, he had this sore spot for deaths. Also, Jean had been Sue Sylvester's only weakness along with Becky Jackson.

"Finn?" Kurt said, turning to his brother who had started on the dishes.

"Hm?" Finn asked.

"We need to go see coach Sylvester tomorrow."

Finn looked somewhat confused, but when his brother was determined about something, it was hard to let him down.

"OK…"

**PKPKPKPK**

Kurt and Finn met up at coach Sylvester's office the morning after, before first period. After a somewhat long conversation, especially to be in her office, the three of them agreed on that not only Kurt and Finn, but the entire Glee club was gonna help out with Jean's funeral, seeing as Sue couldn't handle dealing with it herself at the moment.

They presented this idea to the Glee club, and was met with a lot of disagreement, especially from the lovely being of Jesse St. James who had the nerve to say: "When someone dies, it's a tragedy but it's also a part of life", to two people who had lost one parent each.

That comment hit something in both of the two boys and they were determined to do this, regardless of Jesse's comments.

Jesse and Mr. Schuester had together come up with the lovely idea of having auditions on who's the best performer of the Glee club, and then who should get the solo in the Nationals championship. Not all of the Glee club members had decided to participate in that competition though. Finn was still a bit shaken by Jesse's comment, Puck was just rooting for Kurt anyway, Mike Chang couldn't sing to save his life, Tina went completely and totally unnoticed by Mr. Schue (seriously, he apparently didn't even know if she was still alive) and Jesse did her no better justice, Brittany had a problem understanding what an audition was, Quinn was determined to focus on her relationship and she couldn't care less about who got the solo. Everyone knew it was going to be Rachel anyway. Artie knew there was no way Jesse St. James would give the solo to a kid in a wheel chair, Lauren Zizes didn't bother, Sam wasn't really one for solos, besides he had a family to take care of. In other words; the ones to try out were Kurt, Rachel, Santana and Mercedes.

Santana did a passionate, wonderful performance of "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse, but Kurt couldn't bring himself to cheer for her, no matter how great she was. He was sick and tired of never getting a solo, still after having been told by Mr. Schue that the group needed him and that he could "literally do things that no one else could".

Jesse St. James apparently let her down as well, because he could hear her saying: "I'm about to go _all _Lima Heights." And her going all Lima Heights was never good news. He had to admit it; if she got all that hype from that glorious performance, he wondered what he was gonna get.

"This doesn't look good," he whispered to Puck, who stood contently beside him before he was about to go on stage. Santana came out from the stage.

"What are you two babying each other for?" Santana asked them, as Puck leaned over to whisper to Kurt that it would be fine. He was rooting for him. Oh that was right. Santana knew. He kept on forgetting that.

"It's gonna be great," Puck said, as Kurt walked on stage. Damn, his ass looked fantastic in those pants! He considered walking out into the auditorium just to get a closer look, but he figured he saw everything he needed right from where he stood.

Damn! That was the only content thought in his head. He was sure that whenever he got to tap that it would be worth the wait.

Kurt did a remarkably great version of "Some People" from some musical Puck had heard him mention once back in sophomore year but he hadn't really listened. For fuck's sake, Kurt had been in his cheerios uniform while mentioning it. Get the distraction?

Puck could hardly believe his own ears as he heard Jesse's feedback. Girl songs this and not nailing it that… What the fuck? Thankfully Kurt didn't look sad or directly upset, because if he did, Puck might have had to grab the microphone and kill Jesse with it. And why didn't Schuester do anything about this? Hadn't Kurt handled enough hype about his sexuality as it was? Oh shut up, this was what all of this was about, after all!

Kurt just looked rather pissed off, gave Jesse his best bitch glare and walked off stage, true diva style. His ass still looked fantastic. Focus!

"You OK?" Puck asked as Kurt approached him.

"OK?" Kurt asked, - "I'm freaking fantastic of course! Come on!"

He grabbed Puck by the arm and led him to the choir room with him. It must've been quite a hilarious sight. Kurt with his famous bitch-walk and Puck slumping after. Damn, the boy was fast. And holy hell! He couldn't stop staring at his ass.

"You're kind of hot when you're pissed off, you know that?" Puck told his ass.

"Sure," Kurt said, dragging Puck along with him, approaching the choir room.

"Jesse St. James totally Jesse St. Sucks!" Kurt said as he entered the choir room with Puck hanging in tow.

Puck had to chuckle at his play with words. "He says I shouldn't be singing girl songs!" Kurt complained, "I make my living singing girl songs"

And he did a god damn great job at it to, Puck thought, looking back on the hot and fantastic performance he had witnessed a minute ago.

Mercedes had apparently had enough of this, which made Puck quite relieved, seeing as if she wasn't in the heat of anger she would probably wonder why the hell her best friend was holding hands with Puck. Rachel probably secretly wondered as well, but she was too busy practicing to care.

She ran up on stage to perform "Try a Little Tenderness," and came back after five minutes, outraged by yet another of Jesse's degrading comments. Puck and Kurt couldn't do anything but tell her that she probably did great.

Rachel was next, and all of the people in the choir room probably knew what praise she got from Jesse. When she came back with a ginormous smile on her face they all knew they didn't have to ask.

They all, minus Puck, had to sit down in the auditorium, only to get the message that Mr. Schuester would take a couple of days to figure everything out, to great displeasure from the students.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Finn and Kurt had agreed on meeting up at the nursing home to sort out Jean's stuff with Sue Sylvester, but Sue was rather burdened by everything, so she just told them to toss everything out, "it was all junk".

After a short but intense discussion Kurt and Finn got to know that the only reason Sue Sylvester really agreed to the Glee Club planning funeral in the first place was because she wanted a full house, seeing as she was afraid no one would come.

The funeral went perfectly. Coach Sylvester seemed touched, and when the ceremony was done, Puck and Kurt had agreed to clean everything up. They had placed all Jean's stuff along with her casket, but they had left it in the chapel as they carried the casket out.

As they were standing there, coach Sylvester suddenly came in, looking solemn. "Where's Frankenteen?" she asked, trying to keep up her characteristic attitude.

"Um…," Puck began, - "He's out in his car. Needed to talk to Q about something."

Coach Sylvester gave a short, understanding nod, before explaining: "I just thought I should come here and get Jean's stuff after all. You both were right, Porcelain. These are a lot of memories."

Her voice cracked a little, but Puck and Kurt pretended like they didn't notice.

"Sure," Kurt nodded, - "Take whatever you want."

Sue nodded and walked over to the altar, silently picking up all the things she needed. "Want us to help you get this out in your car?" Kurt asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, that would be great," she said, her voice shaking.

They both nodded and got to work. They walked in silence to Mr. Schuester's car. Sue apparently drove with him. As soon as they had gotten all her stuff inside the car and said goodbye to her, they caught eyes on Finn who sat silently in his car, crying.

Without exchanging a word, the two boys walked towards the car and got into the backseat without a word. "Dude, what's wrong?" Puck asked, - "Where's Quinn?"

"We broke up," Finn said, wiping a tear away angrily.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, laying a hand on Finn's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, that totally sucks, man," Puck said, feeling rather awkward, seeing as he was usually the main cause of Finn's break-ups. Not this time though.

Thankfully, Kurt was the one to break the tension: "I know something to make this better."

"What?" Puck and Finn said united, betting their balls that Kurt had no clue what he could do to make Finn better, seeing as Kurt and Finn didn't really have anything in common.

"An action movie night. Just us three."

OK, so maybe they were wrong and would have to live without testicles for the rest of their lives.

"Awesome," both of them said. They seemed like fucking twins right now.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The action movie night lasted for "Braveheart" and the first half of "The Godfather", before Kurt had fallen asleep, his head resting in Puck's lap and his feet resting in Finn's.

Puck ran his fingers gently through Kurt's hair. He looked so peaceful and adorable while sleeping.

"How come his feet are so small?" Finn asked, looking down at the boy's feet.

"They're not so small, yours are just very tall," Puck told Finn matter-of-factly.

"He's a really small guy though," Finn said worried.

Puck shrugged. "At least he's so fragile," he said, - "He appears so breakable." His hands were still constantly running through the boy's hair, and one of his fingers gently passed his cheek. His skin was so smooth and warm. He leaned in to kiss him softly on the cheek, leaving a "mwah" sound in the process.

"But he isn't so breakable after all," Finn said, and Puck nodded. "Nope," he said.

Both boys exchanged a look, the action movies leaving the urge to gather the whole football team, plus the hockey team, plus Santana, plus Lauren, and get them all some baseball bats and go all middle-age on some certain, prisoned forty-year-old rapist's ass.

None of that was mentioned with words, but they were both having the thought and they both knew it. That was what made their friendship so special.

"Thanks for taking such good care of my brother, man," Finn said.

Puck nodded. "Yeah," he said with a grin, - "He's lucky to have us."

Finn rolled his eyes. His best friend always said the most touching things. Or not really.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello, dear, beloved readers! I am so happy for the reviews I am getting, but I know that there are people who are reading and following this story who aren't reviewing, and it would be nice if those people would post a review every once in a while. Other than that, I have to say that this is the New York AU, and it is pretty different from the episode, in the sense that this has a lot of fluffy, sweet Puckurt moments between the canon events of the episode. Also, I have no idea if Dayton airport in Ohio has direct flights to JFK, so feel free to inform me on that one if you know anything. And I have never even been to New York, even though I want to go so badly, and I have no ideas about restaurants near Times Square, so everyone just feel free to educate me. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

**Also, I have a Fanfiction recommendation for you all! I just read the most amazing, cute and fluffy Puckurt Fanfiction called "When you're the best of friends" and it's written by xLessxThanx3x. It's totally worth checking out!**

They were standing in a line at the airport, ready to get their passport's checked and then finally step on a plane and go to the city of their dreams. I mean… New York. How could you even resist that? Puck sure as hell couldn't and apparently neither could his boyfriend.

Puck was starting to get nervous now, though. He had a hard time keeping up with who knew and who didn't know that he and Kurt were dating. He'd even had to stop and ask Kurt a few times, only because he knew Kurt knew. And Kurt would roll his eyes saying: "I know, you know, Finn knows, Lauren knows and Santana figured out all by herself."

It was starting to become a long list of people. Kurt had also carefully as ever suggested to Puck that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell the entire Glee club. What was the worst that could happen? It wasn't like they would judge or anything.

Puck knew Kurt was right, but he decided the fewer that knew, the better. The worst thing that could happen was that his mother got to know. If she wasn't abusive enough by now, she definitely would be if she found out.

Kurt was content with it, though. The last thing he wanted to do was push. Puck was pretty much the best thing that ever happened to him and he wouldn't let him go for anything in this world.

"I love you, you know that?" Puck muttered in Kurt's ear, making sure no one but Santana were close enough to listen.

He could see the chills that his words caused on Kurt's neck, as his boyfriend just nodded vaguely and mouthed: "I love you too."

Puck resisted the urge to kiss him on that soft spot on his neck, but decided against it. Someone could definitely be looking. Instead he just leaned back a little, asking: "Ready to head off to the city of your dreams?"

He tried to ask in a very casual manner, but knowing how much this meant to his boyfriend, he didn't have the heart to treat it as if it was no big deal.

Kurt turned around, facing him. "Born ready," he grinned.

Puck ruffled his hair a bit, causing Kurt to slap him lightly on the arm. Puck just let out a chuckle. He knew he had been let off easily. If anyone but him tried to ruffle the brunette's hair they would have had much more damage coming for them.

The line finally moved, and a stewardess said in a formal voice that they could now go aboard on the plane from Dayton Airport, Ohio to JFK, New York City. They all got their tickets and passports checked, before they got on the plane. Kurt found a seat immediately, and Puck sat down beside him right away. Kurt gave a light cough, and Puck asked: "What's the matter, princess?"

Kurt would have been offended by that nickname if anyone but Puck called him that. However, when Puck used it, it was nothing short of adorable.

"Wouldn't you sitting beside me here sort of give you away?"

"Chill, babe, people already think we're boyfriends."

"Exactly," Kurt hissed, before pausing, - "Wait, you don't care?"

Puck shrugged, slurring on his words a bit, dragging them on in a sentence: "Nah…," he scratched the back of his head for no particular reason, - "It's not that I don't care, but it's not that much of a deal… I mean… This is the Glee Club and we're heading off to New York." He gave a shrug. "I'm not afraid of the Glee Club finding out. They're the Glee Club."

Kurt looked at him for a second. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Puck bit his lip. "Well, there's the football team, I mean… They call me gay all the time as they do with pretty much all the time with everyone, but if they actually found out you and I were dating, I would take so much crap from them, and then I wouldn't be able to concentrate on getting my football scholarship and get the fuck out of this shithole. With you."

He whispered the last two words. Kurt looked at him, a new sort of emotion shining in his eyes. Puck wanted it to be admiration.

"I'm impressed, Puck," Kurt said, sounding like he hadn't really comprehended what his boyfriend had said just yet, - "Really, I am."

Puck chuckled. "Look, I don't wanna be my father," he said, - "That's just it. I don't wanna be a Lima loser for the rest of my life."

Kurt laid down, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, before realizing that was probably not such a good idea. "You're not a Lima loser," he said, - "And you're most definitely not like your father. You're not a violent caveman."

Puck gave him a small smile. "Thanks," he said, - "It's not just the team and everything, though."

Kurt looked at him questioning. "Go on," he said.

"It's my mom."

Puck looked in front of him now, not meeting Kurt's eyes.

"Oh," Kurt just simply said, - "Is she…?"

"I don't know. She's Jewish, conservative and I can't take more insults from her than what's already coming at me… Look, I know it makes me a wimp, but…"

He finally looked at Kurt. "She's my mom, right? Her opinion of me kind of… matters. Is that lame?"

Kurt shook his head vaguely. "No," he decided, - "No, it's not."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to Brittany and Santana having whispered conversations behind them about what they would do if they found a lesbian bar to go to, and Santana had to hush Brittany down at least ten times because she was speaking too loud about stuff that was way too personal.

"Ever been on a plane before?" Kurt asked Puck, his voice trembling a little with apparent nervousness.

"Haven't you?" Puck asked.

"Answer the question," Kurt commanded.

"Only once," Puck admitted, - "When I was six years old. We were gonna visit a relative of my dad in Detroit."

Kurt nodded. "Is it, like…," he was hesitant, - "Scary?"

Puck frowned a bit before realization hit him. "Having a bit of a plane fright, Kurt?" he asked, poking his sides teasingly.

"Stop it!" Kurt hissed, - "I don't know, alright? How do I know until I've been on a plane?"

Puck laughed. "You know, I bet those belts have never saved one life ever…" He fondled his belt a little.

"Shut up," Kurt said, - "It's not funny. What if we crash?"

"We won't," Puck assured, before laying an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, - "And besides, if we do, I will catch you."

World's cheesiest phrase ever, even for Kurt. He looked at him with an annoyed expression. "How sweet," he mocked.

"Hey, I try," came Puck's comment.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Turned out Kurt didn't have a plane fright after all. As soon as the plane eased, he was already by the window, clinging to the small sill, looking down on the cars, farms, houses, trees and buildings that just became further and further out of reach. He let out a small laugh.

"My, this is amazing," he whispered.

Puck gave a chuckle, unbuckled his belt despite the sign strongly recommending he let it stay on, and came up behind his boyfriend, resting his head on his shoulder. Not that he was a big fan of looking out of windows as if the sights were extraordinary. He wasn't that much of a dreamer, but he definitely was a fan of staying close to hot people. Especially Kurt Hummel.

"You're adorable when you're all dreamy and excited like that," he said.

"This is so great," came Kurt's comment.

Puck chuckled and rubbed his back a little. "Glad you think so, princess."

When they had come so far up in the air, they weren't seeing anything but clouds, they both sat back in their seats, and Kurt realized he no longer needed the belt. He unbuckled it and got comfortable in his seat.

"Havin' a good time, y'all?" came Artie's voice from the seats beside him. He was contently seated beside Quinn, who was looking out the window. She hadn't spoken to anyone during the trip, probably still mad at Finn.

"Yeah, why?" Puck asked, a somewhat annoyed tone resting in his voice.

"Nah, nothing," Artie said, still having a mischievous grin on his features.

Kurt laughed a little. "He knows," he whispered, - "And he isn't afraid of calling you out on it."

Puck shook his head in disbelief. "Sly, young Jedi in a wheelchair."

Kurt didn't even bother asking what Puck meant by that. Then he would just have to cope with a load of crap about how Star Wars was the real reason why the Cold War ended or something. He just gave a chuckle, and tucked himself in, still trying to get comfortable in the seat.

It was seven in the morning and he hadn't slept all night. He was tired and wanted most of all to rest his head on the shoulder of the gorgeously handsome boy beside him, but he decided against it.

Puck also wanted to just tuck the smaller boy in and let him sleep in his lap, but it was too risky. Even though it was only the Glee Club there.

So they both stayed awake.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

They were in the hotel lobby, about to check in, as Puck and Kurt were seated in a bar. "Are you seriously gonna buy a Manhattan?" Kurt asked his boyfriend, as if he had gone insane, - "You're not even eighteen yet."

"So? I look older," Puck commented.

Kurt couldn't argue. He knew very well that he was blessed with the hottest guy in Ohio, maybe in all of America, and Puck knew that as well as he did. So instead of boosting his boyfriend's ego more than what was necessary, the smaller boy just huffed and watched as Puck, unsuccessfully, tried to order a Manhattan:

"I'd like a Manhattan for me and my boy here," he told the waitress wrapping his arm around Kurt's shoulders in a protective gesture. Kurt could only roll his eyes. This would go over so much better if Puck didn't drag him into this. Besides, he'd never said he wanted any. Truth was he had never had a drink in his life, but he wasn't about to tell Puck that. It was personal; he didn't like losing control. Just this thing about keeping control was very important to him. He didn't want his boyfriend to think he was lamer than he already knew he was.

Puck eyed the waitress up and down, obviously finding her hot, but her eyes only flickered between the two of them. "Do you even know what's in a Manhattan?" she asked, obviously, to both of them.

"Yeah," Puck answered, full on badass-persona, - "_Me. _For the first time."

Kurt had to roll his eyes again, but this time a small smile was resting on his lips. He was glad his boyfriend was having one hell of a time already. He didn't, however, know why his boyfriend was trying to get a drink at noon, seeing as he wasn't alcoholic.

The hilarity was interrupted by Will Schuester who approached them. "Puck, get off the bar counter!" he commanded, in a friendly manner, mind you.

Puck shrugged his arm casually from Kurt's shoulder as they both got off the chairs. The waitress gave Mr. Schue a knowing look, and he knew what it meant. He looked somewhat annoyed but very little surprised. He didn't make a comment on anything, though.

"I already informed the entire Glee Club, and now I'm about to inform you, that you will be split up after sexual orientation, _not _boys and girls. How you feel about that Kurt?"

Kurt had mixed emotions when it came to that news. He knew he should be thrilled because splitting up so he could be with the girls was usually his favorite part of any day, but he also liked the thought of glaring at his boyfriend's muscles all day. Screw it, these were mostly great news.

"Great," he smiled, - "I'm all for it."

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together, looking satisfied with his decision, which wasn't at all influenced by the receptionist. Puck was apparently not down with the situation. As soon as Mr. Schue had turned his back on them, Puck leaned in and muttered in Kurt's ear: "Am I gonna come out to him now or later? Seriously, I'll trade places with Santana any time!"

Kurt laughed. "Calm down," he said, stroking his boyfriend's arm, - "We'll have plenty of time together here anyway."

Puck scoffed under his breath. "I hope you're right," he commented.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

They were walking the streets of New York. The New Directions, a Glee Club from Lima, Ohio was no running down the streets of New York, visiting all the most famous places that were to find in the city. And they managed sticking together without fighting too much.

After Mr. Schue having called in for an emergency meeting, saying that they would have to stay inside and write songs, and Brittany had come up with a wonderful song that would just be amazing to perform as a group at Nationals, in a complete serious manner, called "My Cup", everyone realized they needed to find the inspiration from the city, and let the city write the songs for them.

When their feet were sore, which didn't happen before at six pm, and their stomachs craving, they decided to find the closest pizza restaurant and grab some. They were seated around a big table that they had made up of several smaller tables.

"This is so great," Kurt said, - "Very La vie Boheme."

"What?" Puck asked.

"It's from Rent, Puckerman," Kurt said.

"Oh," Puck said, remembering having watched the movie with Rachel once, - "So that means you're gonna dance on the table, toasting to dildos, then?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at his boyfriend. "And why did I have to be either the transvestite or the stripper?"

"Because you're sexy as hell?" Puck pointed out, a little more quietly, but not quiet enough for the half of the club not to hear it.

"Look at them," Mercedes whispered to Brittany, - "You have to be blind not to see it."

"See what?" Brittany asked, and Mercedes realized that maybe she had picked the wrong person to share this 'secret' with. She rolled her eyes. "I'll explain later," she said, turning to Quinn to share the same secret with her, but she quickly changed her mind, seeing as Quinn might or might not still have feelings for Puck.

So she just sat there in silence, watching as Puck and Kurt was blatantly flirting in front of everybody's eyes. Were they all too oblivious to see it? She shook her head, contemplating whether or not to ask Kurt about it. She decided against it. She would give them all the time they needed to figure things out on their own.

**PKPKPKPK**

The day after, Puck had magically managed to convince Finn into taking Rachel out on a date in the afternoon, and he was at the boys' hotel room with Sam, Mike and Artie, watching old Tom & Jerry cartoons on TV, seeing as that was the only thing that was worth watching.

"I want an explanation here, Puck," Artie said, as Tom lit a bomb, placed it in Jerry's mouse hole, only to find the mouse running out, and having himself explode instead.

"Explanation for what, Rollin' Robin?" Puck asked casually, as he was still obsessively devoted to the cartoon. He had grabbed a double-sized bag of peanuts which he was devouring greedily. He didn't notice that Artie's voice didn't carry his usual ghetto-tone, meaning he was serious.

"For what's _really _going on between you and Kurt," Artie said firmly.

Puck tensed slightly, but he quickly relaxed. It was the first time he had been called out on his relationship with Kurt by a guy… That wasn't Finn. No big deal or anything, right? He was Puckasaurus for Christ's sake, he could cope with this. He wasn't intimidated by the kid in the wheelchair. That was just low.

He got more comfortable on the bed, lowered the volume on the TV, and turned to face Artie. "You think I'm gay or something?" he asked, giving a hand gesture for Artie to go on.

"The deal isn't that we think you're gay, dude," Sam explained. Damn, was he in on this as well? Was he that obvious?

"Then what is it?" Puck asked, - "Spit it!"

"You're not one thing more than the other. You find hot hot, and that is that. Not labeled."

Puck had to roll his eyes. "You seem to know very well what you're talking about, Evans," he commented, not responding to the boys' questions.

"Seriously," Mike said, - "No judgment here. We won't even tell anyone."

Puck huffed them off. "Right," he muttered.

"Dude," Sam said, - "I get it. Even I can admit that Kurt isn't so bad, for a guy, I mean."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm aware," he said.

"The sooner you realize this, the better," Artie said, - "Just saying."

He was about to roll away, where to Puck had no idea, before Puck stopped him in his tracks: "OK, I'll play," he said, turning the TV off completely, - "What do you wanna know?"

All three boys looked quite pleased with themselves. "Are you dating?" Artie asked.

"Since I joined the celibacy club," Puck answered immediately, wanting to move on to the next question as soon as anything. He didn't want to answer to inside-questions about where, when and how it happened that the two of them got together. He wasn't going to spill Kurt's secret. That was Kurt's call. Puck knew he needed that control.

The guys just laughed at the celibacy club of it all. "That's why?" Mike asked, - "Seriously? You joined because you were in love with Kurt? You're whipped, man."

"Yeah, like you don't listen to everything Tina says all the time," Puck scoffed, earning an insulted glare from Mike.

"Interesting," Artie said, looking like he was thinking about something. Puck didn't want to know what but he didn't need to wonder for long either. Artie spilt it immediately: "Have you had sex yet?"

Puck fell back on the mattress. He had two options: 1. He could lie, which he was horrible at, and say that he had tapped him on several occasions, and save himself from all the questions, or 2. He could say 'no' and endure the questions he had coming at him if he did.

So he did it. He lied: "Yeah," he said immediately, the lie evident in his voice, - "We've done it a couple of times now."

"Good thing Puckzilla still has it in him," Sam said, mocking Puck's way of pronouncing his nickname.

"Yeah," Puck said, - "Good thing."

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Puck received a text at 10 pm in the evening. He was still in the room, writing down the song they had come up with today, "Light up The World" on his computer, determined to send it do Mr. Schue when he was finished. Sam had gone out to take some fresh air, Finn had gone to sleep after his date with Rachel, Mike was still watching Tom & Jerry and Artie had plugged out for the day, and was now seated on his bed with his headphones in, listening to Kanye West.

The name 'Kurt' was clear on his screen as Puck checked his phone. He grinned and opened the message:

"_Have I missed something, cause I didn't know we've done it several times. Is there something you're not telling me?"_

"Fuck," Puck muttered under his breath, but not loud enough for Mike to hear him. He could practically hear the bitter sarcasm in his boyfriend's voice as he read the message. Why couldn't he ever do anything without fucking up people's lives?

Contemplating how to put his words, he simply wrote back:

"_Look, I can explain."_

Kurt's answer came immediately: "_And you will. Meet me in the lobby in five."_

That was one of the things he loved and hated the most about his boyfriend: Everything was supposed to happen face-to-face, fair and square.

Puck replied: "_I'll be there. Sorry."_

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

"If having the ability of bragging about sleeping with me was so important to you, you could just tell me," Kurt said, as they were seated by a table in the empty bar of the hotel lobby.

"It isn't, Kurt," Puck said, - "It really isn't. I didn't say it to brag about anything, they just…"

"Just what?" Kurt prompted.

"Forced the truth out of me. First they asked if we were dating and I told them we were. Then they asked if we'd had sex, and I'm a terrible liar, Kurt!"

Puck's voice was frustrated. "I know," Kurt mouthed, but he still looked pissed off, - "I know, but I just can't handle myself with those questions…"

He shook his head. "I met Sam in the hotel hallway and he congratulated me on having slept with you, and I just… Well, all I could do was play along. And you know how I am with those questions and you should have known there would be questions…"

He was rambling and Puck put his hands in his, praying he wouldn't pull back. He didn't. "I know, Kurt," Puck said, - "And I am sorry, but please here me out here. I know I should've thought about the questions you would be facing. But if I had told them that we haven't done it, they would start asking why, and then I would just spill the truth because I'm an idiot who can't lie. So there. I'm sorry I'm a selfish bastard who only cares about the difficulties I will have to handle, but if I had told them the truth it would be even more difficult for you than it already is. There."

He had said it all in one breath, and he was now exhausted. Kurt was looking at him for a long time, but then he nodded, and allowed his hands to caress his.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, - "I know you're right. I'm so sorry."

Puck shook his head, feeling quite relieved. "Don't mention it," he said.

"I'm so stupid," Kurt said, - "I wasn't thinking. Of course it would've gone over worse if… God, I'm so stupid, I can't even handle a couple of questions!"

Puck chuckled. "Hey, it's OK," he said.

Kurt sighed. "It's just not easy for me, all this," he admitted, and Puck knew it took a lot of courage of the boy to actually say those words out loud, - "It's hard. I can't deal with questions that have to do with sex unless it's from you…"

Puck brought his boyfriend's hand to his mouth and kissed it softly. "Of course it's not easy," he said, - "You're doing a great job coping with everything that happened to you."

"I'm proud of you, Puck," Kurt said, - "For letting out your secret so easily. Can't have been easy."

"Thanks," Puck said, grinning a little, - "It wasn't that bad, really. They figured I just find hot hot and sexy sexy without gender mattering so much."

Kurt smiled a little. He took a deep breath, before saying: "I hope you're being honest with me about the sex thing, though," he said, - "I hope you will talk to me whenever you feel like having sex… I won't stop you."

"What does that mean?" Puck prompted, - "Kurt, I'm not gonna force you into anything or push you. I'm not that guy!" He almost sounded offended, but Kurt calmed him down.

"I know you're not," he said, - "But if you want to have sex with…" His voice started to tremble, - "Someone else, because I can't give it to you… Then I want you to feel free to do it."

A tear ran down his cheek, but he wiped it away angrily. Puck took his face in his hands, and an emotion between sadness and anger appeared on his features: "Don't ever say that, Kurt," he said, - "I might be a sex shark and everything, but _you are the one_, Kurt." He caressed his face a little. "You are the one that I love. Unconditionally. I'd jump off a cliff before I hurt you. In any way."

He grabbed his hands again. "I know this is hard for you," he said, - "But I won't let you go before you have gotten through this. I don't love the thought of having sex with you. I love everything about you. And I don't want to have sex with anyone but you. Not in a million years."

Kurt gave him a soft smile. "Promise me you mean that," he said.

Puck couldn't handle this anymore. He rose up, brought Kurt up with him and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "I promise," he said.

Kurt leaned into his chest, and Puck could feel him shake just a little. It was apparent he was crying. "I hope those are happy tears," Puck said, meaning it to become a joke, but his concern was evident.

Kurt nodded, and wiped angrily at his tears. "Don't leave me," he whispered.

"Never," Puck promised.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The day after was pretty much a chaotic day. Kurt and Puck had gone over to the boys' room and fallen asleep there. Kurt didn't even have the energy to go back to the girls' room, not really bothering if they started worrying. When he and Puck had reached their hotel room, all the guys were contently asleep in their beds either way, so Puck offered Kurt a spot on his bed and tucked him in under the covers with him. They didn't even bother getting dressed for bed, even though Artie had some moist towelettes just so Kurt could at least get parts of his moisturizing routine done before bed.

As they had been lying contently on Puck's bed, he had asked Kurt: "Want me to make up for it tomorrow? Tell them that we haven't done it. I'll make something up. Anything."

Kurt had shaken his head briefly. "No, it's OK. It's better this way."

Then he had snuggled closer to his boyfriend, having him spooning him. They woke up in the same position the next morning.

"Since when are you out?" Finn asked Puck as soon as he opened his eyes.

"What?" Puck muttered. He was getting tired of being woken up by Finn in the mornings when he was snuggling with Kurt.

"You. Your sexuality. Since when are you out of the closet. Sam, Mike and Artie all act like this is all natural."

He was obviously referring to the cuddling boys on the bed beside him. "First of all, Hudson," Puck said, giving his best friend a glare, - "Will you quiet down? Kurt's still asleep."

He stroked Kurt's hair almost unconsciously. "Yeah, why is he here anyway?" Finn asked.

"He and I had an argument yesterday, but we're all good now."

Finn's first instinct was to ask Puck what the hell he had done, but he decided against it. "Yeah, I can see that," he said.

"To answer your other question," Puck said, as diplomatic as possible for him, - "There's no out or in here, and there really is no sexuality. I love who I love. No labels."

Finn just shrugged at that, realizing it wasn't his place to start arguing. "Do they know?" he asked, making a hand gesture in Kurt's direction and staring at Puck with a glare so serious it could only mean one thing.

"No," Puck shook his head, - "And they're not going to either."

Finn nodded. "Cool," he said, - "Or… It's better that way, you know."

Puck nodded. "Yeah, it is." He paused for a second. "Where's everybody anyway?"

"Went out to buy some snacks. They will be back any minute. They all fell asleep pretty early yesterday… I'm only awake because they woke me up, but you two are such heavy-sleepers."

Puck grinned before he felt his boyfriend twisting in his arms. "Good morning sunshine," he muttered, as he pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

A sweet smile settled on Kurt's features as he let out a slight yawn. "Morning," he muttered, his voice a much lower key than usual. His eyes widened instantly.

"Rachel!" he nearly yelled, as he got up.

"Dude, what the hell?" Finn asked, not really sure how to otherwise put his words, - "Like… First of all, she's mind, and as far as I'm concerned, you have a boyfriend."

Puck nodded eagerly, obviously agreeing completely with Finn. Kurt didn't even have time for their humor. "Breakfast at Tiffany's," was his only explanation, before he ran over to the girls' room.

"So…," a very confused Puck said, as he stretched a bit, - "How did your date with Rachel go?"

**PKPKPKPK**

The rest of the day was complete chaos: Quinn being all hysterical over the breakup with Finn, Santana and Brittany seeming more in love with each other every second, and contemplations whether or not Mr. Schue would still be considering Broadway before them.

When the clock had reached 9 pm, however, Puck decided to really pull off his gentleman persona for a change. No, you didn't read wrong. He actually had one. He was in New York now for Christ's sake. The city of love. So therefore he picked up his phone and gave Kurt a message:

"_Meet me in the lobby in half an hour. Dress up. I wanna see that perfect lil body of urs in a suit. Love u."_

**PKPKPKPK**

Kurt did as he was told. By nine-thirty he was in the lobby, in a suit, just like Puck had offered. Kurt was slightly curious to what his boyfriend had in mind.

Puck hadn't showed up yet, so Kurt decided to go and sit down on the couch, but as soon as he was about to, he heard a familiar, sexily rough voice behind him: "Looking hot tonight, princess."

Kurt turned around, only to find his boyfriend, also in a suit. He had no tie, and his shirt was buttoned down slightly, revealing some of his chest. Kurt could only lick his lips. How had he been blessed with someone so sexy? What the hell did he do to deserve that?

"Wow…," he said, - "You… You're…"

He couldn't say more, before Puck, almost over-dramatically, walked up to him and pulled him in for a passionate, long lasting kiss, which Kurt quickly responded to.

"I know, right?" he asked, giving his boyfriend a wink.

They walked outside, and Puck immediately hailed a cab. "After you," he said, as Kurt got into the cab before him.

"Take us to Times Square," Puck said, a little too rudely for it to match his gentleman persona, but Kurt just loved how relaxed and laid-back and simply Puck he was, even dressed in a suit.

They drove through the city, watching all the ginormous, outstanding skyscrapers and the city-lights beside them. Kurt reached for Puck's hand and squeezed it and Puck let out a soft sigh. So this was what love felt like, huh? While Kurt was busy regarding all of the lovely, passive adventures New York had to offer, Puck only had eyes for him. Even in the dark of the cab he could see how his boyfriend's eyes were shining, and sense how restless and excited he was.

As he regarded him, it suddenly dawned on him how lucky he was. He had gotten to know this wonderful human being beside him, this beautiful, amazing creature. He knew him like no one else did, and he was now holding his hand. He had this lovely mixture of innocence and maturity to him that Puck found both adorable and sexy at the same time. And to top it all off he was the most caring and selfless person he had ever met.

"What are you thinking about?" Kurt's voice brought through his thoughts.

He squeezed his hand and looked him in the eyes. "I'm thinking about how lucky I am."

Kurt just sat there for a couple of minutes, staring at him, before he lay down contently, resting his head on Puck's shoulder. They sat like that until they reached Times Square.

Puck pulled up his wallet, and Kurt did the same thing. The mohawked boy laid his hand gently on his boyfriend's. "Hey," he said, - "It's on me."

Kurt smiled contently, not wanting to argue. He knew very well that his own economy was better than Puck's. His family had very little money and his pool-cleaning business wasn't that much brag about. Still, he found it incredibly sweet that Puck wanted to do this for him, and he knew that arguing would do no good anyway.

They got out of the cab and Kurt was immediately distracted by all the stunning city lights that were around them.

"Like it?" Puck asked, as if he had created it all.

"I can't believe this," Kurt said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Puck let out a laugh, and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Come on now, let's grab something to eat."

**PK**

They were seated in a restaurant that was supposed to be fancy, but if you took a look at the less than perfect quality of the china and table clothes, plus the pretty low prizes you would see that it wasn't as fancy as it appeared to be. Kurt noticed the thing about the china and table clothes of course. Puck was busier with the prizes. He was paying after all.

They decided what they wanted to order, and Puck just looked at Kurt. "You look beautiful tonight," he said.

Kurt locked eyes with him and smiled. "So do you," he said. Puck grinned. Of course he did. He was Puckzilla for god's sake. Still, he valued Kurt's opinion more than the ones of the cheerleader or cougars he'd had before him.

They sat there for a while, talking about how they thought Nationals would turn out, and whether or not Mr. Schuester was choosing Broadway over them after all. It was a very casual date despite the circumstances.

As they were devouring their spaghettis, Kurt suddenly looked at Puck. "We kind of resemble The Lady and The Tramp, don't you think?"

Puck grinned. "I guess… Except for the lady part," he said, - "Look, coach Sylvester might call you 'lady' every once in a while, but I happen to love those male tendencies that you have, if that makes sense."

Kurt giggled a little, and Puck found it so adorable. "Thanks Puck," he smiled, - "But other than that, we are The Lady and The Tramp."

"Totally," Puck agreed.

**PKPKPKPK**

It was nearly midnight when the couple entered their respective hotel rooms, meaning Kurt went back to his own bed tonight.

He knocked on the door carefully, only to be met by Rachel's strict facial expression as well as the faces of all the other Glee girls. Only Santana and Lauren looked pretty laid-back.

"Now, spit it, white boy!" Mercedes prompted.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh, the power of the estrogen," he sighed, - "Tell me what you want to know."

"They wanna know about you and Puck," Lauren explained, while she lay down on the bed, devouring a bag of chips.

"You could have just told us you were going out," Tina said.

Kurt gave a small sigh and walked over to his bed. "Fine," he said, - "We're dating. What more do you want to know?"

"Is he as much of an asshole to you as he was to me?" Quinn asked, not able to help herself, and if Kurt should let his brain conclude instead of his heart, he understood her intentions.

"No," he answered firmly, - "No, he's not."

"Obviously," Mercedes commented, - "You wouldn't be wearing a suit now if he was."

Kurt had to laugh a little at this. "Not to question your judgments, Kurt," Rachel said, - "But have you thought this through? Just hear me out… I am happy for you, I really am, but… Noah? Why him?"

Kurt lay down on his bed, almost defeated. "It's complicated, I can't explain it."

"Obviously," Quinn said, - "There really isn't any explanation. Kurt, I've dated Puck, and he's not good for you. I mean… I know what he's like. How can you be sure he's not playing you…?"

Before she managed to continue, Kurt interrupted: "It's been more than two months now."

The girls' jaws fell, and Santana lent out her hand in a 'go figure'-gesture.

"Two months?" Quinn asked, but she got back in the game quickly, - "But how do you still know he's not just using you for…?"

"We haven't had sex yet," Kurt commented, and all the girls now looked at him as if they were watching the moon landing for the first time. Even Santana and Lauren looked shell-shocked now.

"What the…?" Santana said, - "Kurt, he's hot! And even I have to admit he's worth it. Why haven't you done the deed?"

"It doesn't matter," Kurt said, - "I'm not ready. He respects it. End of story."

Everyone was dumbfounded, except for Brittany: "You'd make very cute babies," she said, and Kurt just gave her a skeptical look.

"Totally," she continued, - "Everyone knows that baby penguins and people with squirrels on their heads make the cutest babies."

Kurt looked at her, now it was his turn to become dumbfounded. Still, he was happy she shut the girls up so he could get a good night's sleep.

**PKPKPKPK**

By noon the next day, when the girls had seated down in the boys' room, desperately trying and failing to pretend like they didn't care that Puck and Kurt were dating. Their mission was to practice the new songs they had been writing. Mr. Schuester hadn't even heard them yet, but he had also been too busy chatting with Dustin Goolsby and hanging out with April. They could just hope for his approval.

Just as Rachel and Finn were gonna start belting out the lines of the 'Pretending' chorus, the door knocked. Expecting Mr. Schuester, Tina went to over. They were all surprised to see the coach of Vocal Adrenaline himself, Dustin Goolsby, standing there.

"So this is where the hideously talentless New Directions is hiding," he muttered.

"What do you want, Goolsby?" Rachel asked. She hardly ever thought to adults so rudely, but in her opinion, Goolsby wasn't more authorial than a toddler.

"I wanted to tell you," Goolsby said, as he took one step inside their hotel room without permission.

"What comfy housewife told you to come in?" Santana commented.

Goolsby didn't answer her. "I wanted to tell you," he said again, - "That I have been confirmed that your coach… What was his name? The one with macaroni hair…? Anyway… _Him_. He will not coach your little Glee Club anymore. He's joining his little country-girl on Broadway. Nothing you can do about it."

He took a step out the door and gave a Kanye-shrug. "Sorry," he mocked. And then he was gone.

The group was left, defeated looks resting on all their faces. It was evident there would be no more practicing before Mr. Schuester came back.

**PKPKPK**

Mr. Schuester did come back. A couple of hours later, he approached the boys' hotel room and it didn't take long until he realized the kids had already gotten the news broken to them. While the kids acted like they were happy for him and everything, he knew better.

With no further thought, he said: "I'm not going."

Although the resistance from the students was evident at first, they quickly knew that he was serious. He wasn't going. He was gonna stay with them forever. Puck was the first one to walk up to the teacher and wrap his arms around him, squeezing both his arms in the process, and it eventually ended in a big group hug.

**PKPK**

They were standing backstage at Nationals, having already watched a bunch of show choirs that were incredibly much better than them. Puck came up behind his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his waist. He nibbled slightly on his neck. "Think we have a shot at this?" he asked.

Kurt laughed, and Puck could feel the hollow sound it made in his throat as he did so. "Not if you only suck my neck down your throat, we won't. You should use it for singing instead."

He could feel Puck grinning against his neck. "Nah, this is more fun," he said.

"Hey! You two!" came Artie's voice beside them, and Puck cursed Artie's existence at that moment. Why the hell did he have the right to barge in here and ruin his precious moment? He felt like kicking over his chair for pure fun for just a second, but then he realized that kicking over chairs was Finn's style, not his. Besides, him kicking over a wheelchair wouldn't exactly do wonders for his relationship.

"It's starting," Artie informed them, and they all found their places.

**PK**

"We didn't place."

Mr. Schuester's voice rang through the heads of the teenagers, - "I'm so sorry guys."

They just stood there, watching the list for a few moments. Quinn was the first one to walk away. She didn't seem that faced by it, to be honest. She just gave a light shrug and walked out. "That's it then," she commented.

After followed Artie, rolling away slowly, and Rachel apparently figured he needed someone to support his wheelchair just in case. Seriously, rolling around the streets of New York in a wheelchair? Couldn't be safe.

Tina went after them, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, and Jesse decided to run after Rachel and Artie. "It was all about the kiss," he commented, - "Seriously Rachel. If you hadn't kissed him this wouldn't happen. Then you would have had everything you could ever wish for right now."

Puck guessed he continued rambling on and on about that, but his voice became more inaudible the further away he got. Puck wasn't exactly displeased by that.

"Catch you later guys," Finn said as he turned to walk after Jesse, Artie and Rachel, yelling at Jesse about this not being Rachel's fault. Puck knew that would only cause Jesse to lash out at Finn instead, but he also knew Finn was too upset to care.

He looked down on his boyfriend. "You OK?" he asked.

Kurt gave a light shrug. "I'm hungry," he said, giving a slight smile.

Puck rolled his eyes, wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's shoulder and led him outside.

"You know, we have time for McDonalds before we pack our bags," Puck suggested.

Kurt, still not a big fan of junk-food, decided in favor of it. "Yeah, we can do that," he said. They walked in silence until they found the nearest McDonalds.

"Let me pay today, Puck," Kurt offered.

Puck shrugged. "Cool."

Puck ordered a big mac and French fries. They shared a big Fanta, and Kurt had a chicken salsa.

"That's all you're gonna eat?" Puck asked, looking a little puzzled.

Kurt had to laugh at his boyfriend's confusion. "I try to stay away from junk-food," he explained.

"Don't," Puck said, now having his mouth full of burger, - "It's tasty."

He said the word 'tasty' in his usually low-and-sexy voice, but with all that food stuffed into his face it didn't came out equally as sexy. Kurt sat back in his chair and laughed.

"Oh my god, you're disgusting," he laughed.

"You love me," came Puck's comment.

Kurt looked down at his hands and then he looked up again. "That's right. I do," he said, a new sense of seriousness appearing on his features.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

The plane was about to take off. The atmosphere was even more monotone than it was when they were on their way, and that was really saying something, because now it was 4 pm, and they'd all had a good night's sleep.

Puck and Kurt were seated beside each other, hands linked, and Kurt could finally rest his head on Puck's shoulder without it causing any drama. "I'm still very proud of you for taking on all of this so easily," Kurt whispered to Puck, - "I really love you, you know."

Puck tucked Kurt closer, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I love you too, baby," he said, realizing he hadn't really said those three words many times in his life before he got together with Kurt.

Sam and Mercedes were seated in front of them. Sam had apparently fell asleep in her lap, because they couldn't see the top of his head and they heard his soft snoring.

Puck and Kurt gave each other a knowing glare. "And she had the nerve to give _us_ skeptical looks," Puck commented.

Kurt let out a chuckle. "Looks like we have a new thing going," he said.

Puck was silent for a moment before asking: "Aren't you upset about Nationals?"

Kurt shrugged. "Honestly, yes, a little," he said, - "But it's not the end of the world. I will still get out of Lima."

Puck smiled. "I know you will."

"As will you!" Kurt commanded immediately, - "Seriously. You will."

Puck let out a defeated sigh. "I have my mom," he said simply, - "And my sister. I have to take care of them…"

Now it was Kurt's turn to be silent for a few moments, before he brought Puck's hand to his lips. "You are the most selfless person I've ever met actually. Did you know that?"

Puck rubbed the boy's arm comfortingly, before wiping swiftly under his eye. He wasn't crying. No way was he crying. But Kurt was pretty much the greatest boyfriend you could ever ask for.

**A/N: OK, that was the 11th chapter, and I was just wondering: Should I make a summer-chapter, revolving around Puck and Kurt? I think that could be a good idea. It's your call. Should I or shouldn't I?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I got at least one review asking me for a summer chapter, so here it goes! Hope you like it. This is, as well as the summer chapter, also sort of a flashback-chapter, to a Puckurt childhood moment, so I hope you like that. The school system in the states is pretty foreign to me, though, so I have no idea how the first day in elementary school is for American kids. So the first part of this chapter was very much inspired by my own experience there.**

**Text in _italics _is a dream and flashback from the rape Kurt went through. It's quite graphic, so feel free to skip it if you feel like it.**

**Otherwise; 'enjoy'!**

Kurt remembered very well the first time he saw Puck. It was the first day of elementary school. His mother took him and his father. He remembered being nervous, and feeling like he stuck out way too much. He'd always had his thing for clothes, and seeing as all the other kids in school apparently didn't know how to dress, Kurt felt almost alienated there. He had to smile as he remembered how he had been hiding behind his mother the whole time they were standing in the gymnastic hall, waiting for the teachers to come out and introduce themselves.

The teacher eventually showed up, and the ones who were supposed to be in her class followed her to their represented classroom.

The classroom was split into two tables. Kurt sat down at a random seat, and that was when he noticed him. Or, he noticed his mother first. She looked tired, like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was dressed in a beige sundress with white flowers. Then he noticed the boy. He had short hair and was bigger than most of the other guys in their class. He could easily go for a second or third grader.

Kurt had no idea why, and he to this day had no clue, but the boy came over to him and sat down beside him. He let out his hand. "Noah," he'd said. He didn't go by Puck back then yet. That started in middle school.

Kurt had nervously shaken his hand and introduced himself as well. They got the mission to draw something they liked. Kurt had made a drawing on his family in front of a big house. Noah had just been sitting there, watching his drawing with wide eyes. "Wow," he had said, - "You're good."

Kurt had blushed a little, smiled and thanked him. That was when he looked over to the bigger boy's paper only to find it still plain blank. "Aren't you gonna draw anything?" he'd asked. Not a good idea starting school not following the lessons from day one.

Noah shrugged. "I can't draw," he'd said.

"Sure you can," Kurt had prompted, - "Isn't there anything you like?"

Noah had just looked at him in silence, a somewhat sad, but emptier expression resting on his features.

"Don't you like your family?" Kurt had asked, naively.

Noah had shrugged again vaguely, and Kurt's mouth had opened and closed dumbfounded a couple of times. Then he had looked over to Noah's parents. His mother was standing still, beside a large man, who looked very displeased. Almost angry. Kurt had shuddered the moment he saw him. He must've been Noah's father.

"Come on," Kurt had just smiled, - "There's got to be something."

At that moment Kurt's mom, Elizabeth, had come up to them. "Time to finish up now, Kurt," she'd said, running a warm hand through Kurt's hair, - "Daddy and I need to fill out some papers and then we can go home. You'll be back here tomorrow, you know."

She planted a kiss on her son's head, and Noah regarded her a little enviously. Kurt had a warm and loving mother, who cared for him more than she could ever care for herself, or even for his father.

"I just gotta help Noah with something," Kurt explained.

Elizabeth had smiled, and looked over to where Noah was seated. "Hi," she had smiled, and Noah noticed that she had the same blue-green eyes as her son. Then her eyes flickered to his still empty, blank paper. "Aren't you gonna draw anything, Noah?" she'd asked.

Before Noah could say anything, Kurt had explained: "Noah can't come up with anything that he likes."

Noah was somewhat angry with Kurt for spilling that. It was meant to be a secret, after all. Luckily Elizabeth just looked at him and asked: "Well, if there _isn't _anything you like right now, there might be something you wish for?"

Noah had looked at her for a few seconds, before he started drawing. Elizabeth just smiled. "Thought so," she'd said, - "Five more minutes, Kurt." And then she had walked off.

Kurt had regarded Noah's drawing, and when he was finished, they found a drawing quite similar to Kurt's. It was a drawing of Noah and his family. They were all smiling. "What do you wish for?" Kurt asked somewhat confused.

"I wish for a happy family," Noah answered emptily. He still didn't look happy. Kurt looked behind him to find that Noah's father was heading towards them. Boy, was he terrifying.

"I think your father wants to take you home now," he said.

Noah suddenly tensed beside him, a new expression, other than emptiness, evident on his features. Something quite similar to fear.

"Get up, Noah, we're going home," his father said, his voice hard and rough.

Noah nodded rapidly, folded his drawing and put it in his bag. "Hurry," his father nagged. Kurt thought it sounded like a punch whenever he spoke.

Noah's father had a firm hold on his son's arm now, as he dragged him along with him. "Bye Noah," Kurt said carefully.

"Bye," Noah answered.

Noah and Kurt somehow kept further in touch after this, but they never became good friends. By the end of elementary school, Puck began enjoying tearing people down. Everyone knew the boy had a lot on his plate, but it didn't really, to them, make up for all the bad stuff he did.

Puck and Kurt didn't become friends until Puck joined Glee, many years later. And the rest his history.

**PKPK**

Kurt thought back at the memory. He was getting ready for a trip to the beach with his boyfriend, who would be picking him up any minute now. Kurt took one final glance in the mirror, pleased with his appearance.

He took a deep breath. How did it all come to this? How did those two innocent children get caught up with two vicious bastards who only brought them into the deep and kept them there, making sure they didn't escape?

Somehow you could say they were two damaged people, really. Both of them had been torn down by something or someone that was supposed to mean something to them. And these two damaged people still found each other, and were capable of loving each other.

It didn't make sense. None of this did. In another life, in another universe, Kurt and Blaine would have been soul-mates, and Puck would find his luck with Quinn or just like the free sex shark he was.

But it didn't turn out that way, and Kurt was glad.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"_I'm here. U ready?"_

He smiled foolishly. How could anyone even be so in love? It wasn't reasonable.

"Bye dad, going to the beach!" he yelled after his father, who was seated at the porch with Carole.

"You are?" Burt asked confused. Seeing Noah Puckerman's car in his driveway, and realizing he wasn't there to pick up Finn, but Kurt instead, he got kind of bewildered to what the hell was going.

"Yeah…?" Kurt asked. What the hell was wrong now? Oh shit… The driveway! And the porch…!

"With _Puckerman?"_

Kurt could hear his father's step coming closer to the living room, and approaching the hallway now.

"Yeah…," Kurt quickly made up a lie: "We're picking up Mercedes on the way as well. Puck knows this great beach somewhere and he'll take us there."

Kurt really didn't like lying to his father, about anything, he had already spent too much of his life being dishonest with him, but he did this for Puck's sake. Seriously, words went incredibly fast in Lima, and not only would Burt hunt Puck down with his shotgun if he found out the truth, but he would, in rage, go to his mother immediately and tell her that if his son in any way hurt him, then he would kill him in a very demeaning and torturous way. It was a possibility at least. And Kurt didn't want to take any chances.

Burt eyed him suspiciously. "And Finn isn't going with you, because…?"

"He has a thing with Rachel," Kurt said without thinking, praying to something he didn't believe in that it was true.

Burt's suspicious look didn't leave until Carole approached them. "Come on, Burt," she said, rolling her eyes a bit at her husband's protectiveness, - "I know Puck very well, and he has grown a lot during the past two years. Let the kids have fun, Burt."

She gave Kurt a quick wink, making him a little scared that she knew something for a second.

Burt hesitantly retired to the porch with his wife, and Kurt ran up to Finn's room, not bothering to look. Finn wasn't scared of him anymore anyway.

"Finn," he said, as soon as he was inside his room.

"Dude, what the hell?" Finn asked, as he threw his iPhone across the room. Kurt took it that he sent his angry bird flying to shit directions.

"I need you to cover for me," Kurt said.

"Again?"

It wasn't the first time Finn had had to cover for Kurt when he would be going out with Puck.

"It's serious Finn," Kurt explained, - "Puck's in the driveway. Dad and Carole have seen him, and I'm about seventy percent sure Carole knows something."

"Okay, okay…," Finn said, - "I will cover for you. What do you want me to say?"

"Go out with Rachel today," Kurt said, - "Invite her over. I told my dad you have a thing with her today."

Finn frowned. "What if she doesn't have the time today?"

"Then just say it was a change of plans, but tell them you don't want to go to the beach."

"Dude, I don't even like the beach," Finn said even more confused.

"Perfect," Kurt said, - "Thank you, Finn."

And then he was out.

**PKPKPKPK**

"What took you so long?" Puck asked, mock-offended as Kurt entered his car and they drove off.

Kurt gave a sigh. "My dad," he said, - "He's suspicious."

"Oh," Puck nodded understandingly, - "You know," he continued, giving a light cough, - "I mean, if it would be easier for you, you could just tell him. I seriously doubt he will tell my mother…"

"My father would hunt you down with a shotgun," Kurt said, and Puck laughed.

Kurt got back to the serious note again. "I know," he said, - "I know it would be easier for me, but I don't want to take any chances."

Puck grinned. "I'll live, you know," he said.

Kurt shrugged. "Still don't take any chances."

They drove in silence for a couple of minutes, listening to random summer hits on the radio. Puck had his sunglasses on, seeing as the sun was blinding them both. They drove until they reached a gas station… Correction: _The _gas station.

"What are we doing here?" Kurt asked rapidly.

Puck looked at him with a frown. "Buying some snacks for…" and then realization dawned on him – "Oh fuck," he muttered, - "Kurt I'm so sorry."

Kurt shook his head. "It's fine," he said.

"Hell no," Puck took off his sunglasses, - "Kurt, I'm really sorry I brought you here. We'll find some grocery store in Westerville instead. We can…"

"No," Kurt stopped him gently, putting his hand in his, interlacing their fingers together, - "No, it's fine. I might need this."

Puck took a deep breath. "You sure?" he asked, and Kurt had never seen a more caring expression on the jock's features.

He nodded and squeezed his hand a bit tighter. "Yeah," he said, - "Yeah, I'm sure."

They got out of the car ever so slowly. Puck didn't want to admit it, and he sure as hell would never admit it to Kurt, but even though _Kurt _might've been okay with this or need it or whatever, he wasn't sure if he would be ready for it. He wasn't very good with words, but nothing in this world could ever describe just how much he loved the petite boy beside him.

Kurt practically ran over to him, and clung to his arm. Puck looked at the hilarity of the situation; they were entering a fairly ordinary gas station as if they were heading for war.

"I love you, baby," Puck reminded the boy beside him. He felt the countertenor cling even tighter to him at that remark.

"I love you too," he said, - "Thanks for staying with me."

"Always, princess."

The gas station didn't look any different from any other gas station, as far as Puck was concerned. Besides, he had been here a thousand times, even since he heard of what happened to Kurt there. But he wasn't the sharpest, and he hadn't been able to put two and two together. Everything looked different in hindsight.

As they entered the gas station, there was a stairway to the left, heading towards a basement. At this sight, Kurt clung so hard to Puck's arm, Puck was sure it would take a long while before his blood there started flowing freely again. Still, he just stroked the back of the smaller boy.

"We can just go now, you know," he said, - "We don't have to be here."

Kurt pointed to the stairway. "Down there," he said, - "That was where…"

"That was where he raped you," Puck stated. He wasn't really thinking, but it didn't matter much. He knew Kurt was content with what had been done. He just wasn't capable of saying it here and now himself.

Kurt nodded slowly, releasing his hold on Puck's arm a little. "Sorry," he said, rubbing the spot where his grip had been.

Puck gave a sigh. "Nothing to be sorry for, Princess." He wrapped his arm firmly around the boy's shoulders as they walked in. they bought two bags of chips and one plate of chocolate. "I'll never forgive you for letting me eat all this junk you're feeding me," Kurt said.

"You'd look gorgeous at any size," Puck commented, - "It won't hurt."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he grabbed two bottles of coke. What had he become?

They paid for their food and drinks and walked outside. Kurt shivered and got a little closer to Puck as they walked by the stairway, but that was all that happened. They got into Puck's car and Puck let out a deep breath as he got behind the steering wheel. He looked like he was about to say something. He went for it:

"What that asshole did to you…," he said, looking over to his boyfriend, just to see if he was in the mood to talk about it. He got a look of approval, so he continued: "That wasn't sex… You know that, right?"

Kurt shrugged. "The techniques are the same… But I know."

Puck shook his head. "No," he said, - "They're not the same either. They're similar but not the same. I won't hurt you."

The last comment wasn't really meant to be said out loud, but what the hell? Puck was a pretty impulsive guy after all.

Kurt looked at him for a second. "Of course," Puck continued, - "It's probably gonna hurt a little, what do I know? But it's gonna be completely different when it's not forced… Look, I'm not trying to push you into anything; I just want you to know that…"

He was cut off by the brunette's lips on his in a firm but loving kiss. "I know," he simply said, - "I want to do all that with you. One day."

Puck nodded and grabbed the boy in for yet another kiss. It was pretty ironic, really. That there, in a shitty town called Lima, Ohio, on a very dark and dreaded place for the boys, they were having one of the most loving moment of their relationship. And nothing hurt.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

They had brought towels this time, meaning they didn't need any jackets to sit on at the beach. Puck started pulling off his shirt and Kurt just sat back down, shamelessly admiring the firm muscles of his boyfriend's chest and arms. "Like what you see, babe?" Puck asked, and Kurt just blushed and looked away slightly, only to be looking back five seconds later. Puck gave a chuckle, before he unbuckled his belt so he was just in his boxers. Kurt's eyes widened at his package. Damn, was his boyfriend well-packing! And it didn't scare him, like some of the packages in 'those movies' had done. Rather the opposite. This was really freaking turning him on. "Wow," he mouthed, hoping his boyfriend didn't notice. If he did, he didn't react further.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, and Kurt wouldn't mind if he left that towel right there on the ground. This was getting good. But no. Puck had it wrapped around his waist, and he stripped out of his regular boxers and put on the ones he'd be going swimming in. not leaving Kurt as much as a glance at what he was equipped with.

Kurt's mind was rambling. In one way he couldn't wait to get the boy naked, and have him make love to him. In fact, he wouldn't, under completely normal, inexperienced circumstances, mind doing it right then and there. But it was that little instinct that held him back. The little instinct that some fucked up stranger had put on his young shoulders when he was fifteen years old. He wanted to scream by the thought of it. Why couldn't he even have this? Just this? Just the ability of being intimate with his boyfriend without it causing any drama? But of course not. He couldn't be that lucky either.

Puck put his towel down, folded it out and lay down on it. he looked over to his boyfriend who was in the process of undressing in front of him. _Damn, _he thought, _- Am I lucky or what? _

He was glad he was wearing sunglasses, or else he would have looked absolutely ridiculous right now. He watched as his boyfriend took off his shirt, just to reveal a pale, quite muscular chest. Puck licked his lips slightly. Was it just him or did his boyfriend grow some muscle every single time he got a glimpse of him shirtless?

He continued glaring as the boy stripped off his jeans, only to be seen in some really tight boxers that he would be going swimming in. Damn, were they tight. They embraced his ass perfectly as well as his package. Holy shit, his penis looked big… Especially for such a small guy. Puck was so happy he was wearing sunglasses right now.

Kurt blushed a little and sat down on his towel, right beside his boyfriend. Puck pulled him closer, so he could rest at his chest. He then grabbed the first bag of chips, and opened it. They devoured it, not really having realized how hungry they both had been all day. Neither of them had had any breakfast that day.

"I hate you for doing this to me," Kurt said, sort of repeating his words from earlier that day.

Puck just grinned and delivered a soft kiss to his neck. "Know what the suckiest combination in the world is?" he asked.

"What?"

"You and weight-loss." He started nibbling on his boyfriend's neck, who cocked his head slightly to the right, to give him better access.

"I hate you," he murmured.

"Love you too."

They sat like that for a while, before Puck said: "I'm serious though. It is a sucky combination. Remember when Sylvester put you on that diet or when Karofsky was bothering you. You hardly ate anything. Your ass looks so much better when you've been eating some."

Kurt turned to look at him just so he could roll his eyes at him. "Sure Puck," he said.

"You know I'm right."

Kurt was about to argue, but Puck beat him to it: "Wanna go swimming?"

Kurt gave a slight smile. "Sure."

They got into the water. Having taken a bath in April, the water didn't feel nearly as cold as it might have been. Puck, ever the badass, threw himself in and started swimming.

"Get in, Mr. Hummel," Puck teased, as he wiggled his legs in Kurt's direction, causing a small waterfall to wash over his boyfriend. Kurt let out a squeak but then he started laughing.

"'Mr. Hummel?'" he asked, - "That reminds me of my dad!"

An uncomfortable expression made itself known on Puck's face. "Remind me to _never _call you that again," he said.

"Noted."

By that Kurt slowly dove into the water and started swimming. He was an excellent underwater-swimmer and before Puck had even noticed he had started swimming, he felt someone tickle him.

"What the hell?"

He grabbed his boyfriend and lifted him, quite easily, up from underwater and took him off guard immediately, pressing his lips softly against him and pulling him in for a passionate kiss. "You look so fucking fantastic," he muttered, - "With your hair all wet like that and…" He couldn't say more as his mouth was too busy working on Kurt's, and his hands were too busy roaming the smaller boy's hair.

They stood there like that, making out until they lost their balance and fell onto the water again. When they got up they were both in a huge fit of laughter, without really having any idea why. As they were right by the shore, Puck wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him closer. He pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you," he whispered, in that oh-so-sexy, deep voice of his.

Kurt responded to his statement by pulling him in for yet another heated kiss. Puck, obviously, deepened it even more. Right then a big wave came crushing towards them, knocking them to the bottom of the ocean. Luckily they were almost completely up on the beach again by then; the water just coming to them with a wave every once in a while.

Kurt was laying on his back with Puck on top of him. Puck had his face cupped in his hands. "You're adorable," he said, roaming his hands through his boyfriend's hair for a second, before yet another make-out session occurred between the two of them.

**PKPK**

Quinn was throwing a pool party. Despite everything, Puck had to admit he loved her rich mom. Who was quite hot. Not that she would be there… Oh hell… They had a pool and Quinn had a hot mom. What if he…? No, wait. Realization hit him. He'd known Quinn's mom since before he lost his virginity. Thank God.

The entire Glee club was connected at her party, all dressed in several types of bathing suites. Brittany and Santana were laying together on a big water mattress they had found in Quinn's garage. Quinn was sitting in a chair, bathing herself in the sun. She didn't look particularly happy, but who could really blame her, losing her boyfriend so quickly? Finn and Rachel were sitting on the edge of the pool, making out. That seemed to be all they ever did since they got together.

Mike, Tina and Artie were playing some weird ball game with the world's biggest beach ball, Artie sitting on the edge of the pool, while Tina and Mike were in it. It seemed like they laughed more than played with the ball though.

Puck, Kurt, Sam and Mercedes were also taking a sunbath, on the opposite side of Quinn. "You know, this is cool," Sam said, - "This. Just hanging around, relaxing. Gives a good break from all the family drama."

Kurt and Mercedes looked sympathetic, while Puck, who really wasn't able to pull of the sympathetic look for anyone but Kurt and his family, just gave a small, encouraging nod, and then a blunt: "That sucks, man."

Mercedes put a hand on Sam's arm. "At least we got each other through all of this," she gave an encouraging smile. Puck and Kurt engaged a small look, all-too-well knowing of that feeling.

Sam looked a little out-of-place right then. "Mercedes, there is something I need to tell you," he said.

Mercedes looked confused, and then gave Puck and Kurt a look that only Kurt knew. "We'll leave you two alone," he said, but Sam stopped him.

"No," he said, - "It's OK if you hear this."

Kurt slowly got down in his chair again. Sam continued: "My family might have to move to Connecticut."

Kurt's eyes widened as they were filled with concern for Mercedes. Mercedes' look was somewhat similar, but she looked more devastated. Puck was a little dumbfounded, not really knowing what to say. He decided to shut up.

"I'm so sorry, 'Cedes," Sam said, - "We can still keep in touch, you know. I wouldn't wanna leave you for anything."

Mercedes gave a slight smile before she pecked Sam on the lips. "Yeah, we can try," she said, but Kurt knew she didn't wholeheartedly mean it.

In a little too happy-go-lucky voice, she said: "Gotta go check on Quinn."

Shutting her eyes, trying to repress everything she had just heard, she walked over to where Quinn was seated, sunglasses well placed to cover her eyes, and her head tipped towards the sun, her legs crossed. She sat very still, and Mercedes for a second thought she had fallen asleep, but when she slowly sat up and her head warily turned in Mercedes' direction.

"Hey Quinn," Mercedes said, a little too softly for her to be completely okay.

Quinn smiled a little wider and took off her sunglasses. She still didn't look entirely happy. "Hey," she said, equally as softly. There was a break before Quinn broke the silence: "Is everything okay over there?" She looked over to where Puck, Sam and Kurt sat, and noticed they all looked almost as solemn as she probably did now.

Mercedes shrugged. "Sam's moving to Connecticut as soon as the school year begins," she said, a sad smile resting on her lips.

Quinn sat up more contently and looked at Mercedes. "Mercedes, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice almost a whisper. She reached out a hand for her friend, who accepted it.

Mercedes shrugged. "I'll manage," she said, - "I always do."

"But it shouldn't have to be that way," she said, - "You are always the one who has to manage on your own. It's not fair."

Mercedes' smile widened a bit at her friend's selflessness. Whoever said Quinn was nothing more than a selfish bitch with rich white girl problems should really redefine their way of thinking. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Quinn shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I don't know," she said, - "I don't know what I'm doing anymore… Or who I am."

Mercedes knew it took a lot of guts from Quinn to admit that, and she also knew she was probably the only one she would ever admit that to. So she just squeezed her hand.

"Wanna come hang with us?" she asked, cocking her head in the boys' direction.

Quinn gave a weak smile, then a nod. "Yeah, I'd like that," she said, as she dizzily got up from her chair and walked over to the guys.

"Hey Quinn," Sam approached, and Quinn was glad he didn't seem bitter that she cheated on him anymore, - "How you doing?"

Quinn gave a shrug as if asking why she wouldn't be doing fine. "I'm good," she said, but the boys knew it was a lie. "How about you?" Quinn hurried to ask, - "Hear you're moving to Connecticut." She looked a little confused.

"Yeah," Sam said, dragging his hand through his hair, - "Better chances of getting jobs there. Not that I wanna go."

Quinn nodded understandingly, and then her eyes flickered to Kurt and Puck. She smiled, and this time it seemed quite real. "And how about you two?" she asked.

"How about us?" Puck asked, a teasing grin resting on his features.

Quinn crossed her arms and pointed to Puck. "Is he still being a gentleman?" she asked Kurt.

Sam gave a chuckle as if he couldn't believe it. That was when Kurt remembered that the boys all thought he and Puck _had _slept together, while the girls had gotten to know that they hadn't. Boy, this was gonna be trouble one day. They would dwell on that later though.

Kurt just nodded. Quinn gave a nod, and she looked a little surprised. "Go figure," she said, - "Who'd have known?"

"Jealous?" Puck asked, nodding in Kurt's direction, the same grin resting on his features.

"You have no idea," Quinn said sarcastically, suddenly feeling a little better.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Quinn invited Sam, Kurt, Puck and Mercedes to stay the night at her place. They rigged in two giant mattresses in her living room. Puck and Kurt lay down on one and Mercedes and Sam lay down on another one. Quinn settled for the couch.

As they were all in their pajamas and under the covers, they almost immediately fell asleep.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

"_Strip for me."_

_The voice was harsh and rough. Kurt was terrified as he, shakily started to unbutton his shirt. The man before him stood a head taller than him, with a sly grin on his features. He licked his lips seductively at the sight of the young boy in front of him._

_As Kurt removed his shirt, the man took a step forward. He was now close enough that, if he reached his arm out all the way, he would be able to touch him. The thought terrified Kurt beyond belief. Sure, he knew what would happen, but he still had the hope._

"_What are you waiting for?" the man asked, a little more firmly, but he still kept the calm tone of his voice, - "Your pants as well."_

_Kurt didn't know when he had started crying, but he by now felt tears falling freely from his eyes. His hands were shaking even more violently now, but he started removing his boots, unbuttoning his pants, dragged them down to his knees, and slipped them off. The cold air hit his exposed body, and a soft sob escaped him as he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself._

_He didn't open his eyes before he felt the man's hands on his arms, gently… g_ently_… pulling them from his body. "Hey, let me look at you," the man said. He stood there for a few seconds, just inspecting the teen's body._

_Then it was like he couldn't contain himself anymore; as if he was a drug-addict who finally got his drugs back right before withdrawal. He grabbed the back of the boy's head harshly and started sucking on his neck. Kurt let out another sob, but as the man grabbed him roughly and led him towards a table that had been placed in the middle of the room, he went stunned. This was really happening…_

_He could still feel the tears, but he didn't know how to take action against anything anymore. He was letting this happen… Why was he letting this happen?_

_The man bended him over the table. Even though he didn't look behind him, he knew the man was there, regarding him, watching him as he was face down, ass up in front of him. He let out a gasp as he felt hands on his waist, and his boxers came off. "No," he begged, - "No, please don't do this…"_

_He let out another sob as the man started touching him; starting at his waist, before moving down between his legs, squeezing his penis gently. Kurt bit his lip from screaming in a mixture of shame and horror as he felt himself going hard at the man's touches. Why was this turning him on?_

_The man fondled him a little more, stroking up and down his shaft, and Kurt could feel his erection through his pants, already pressing against his ass. "No," he whimpered, - "No, please."_

"_Shut up, faggot!" the man hissed, stroking him harder, - "Look," he said, - "You're enjoying this."_

_Kurt could just shake his head and sob into the table. He started screaming when he heard a zipper go down behind him. Moments after he felt something hard and warm press against his entrance. "No, please," he yelled, - "Don't do this, please…"_

_He felt a burning ache as the man put one finger inside him. "Shut up," the man hissed again. "You're gonna love this soon enough."_

_He added another finger and another one, making Kurt scream out in pain. It already felt as if his body was ripped in two. How was he possibly gonna handle all of him?_

_He felt the man crook his fingers inside of him, despite the pain, adding to the arousal. "I'm gonna throw up…," he whimpered._

"_Oh," the man soothed, - "I don't think so."_

_He let his free hand go to the boy's manhood again, feeling the hardness that had been forming. "God, you're already nice and hard for me, aren't you?" he whispered in the boy's ear, - "You really want me to fuck that tight ass, right?"_

"_No, please…," Kurt begged, - "No, anything but that!"_

"_Well, that's the anything I want, love," the man whispered, before he grabbed a good hold of the boy's hips, lined himself up against his entrance and pushed in with a force._

_Kurt let out a painful yell as his legs failed underneath him. The man gave a hard smack to his backside, forcing him to stand again. That was when he started thrusting. Kurt was crying the whole time, cursing his body for still reacting to the molestation._

_He man had a hold on his penis again, pumping him with a force. Kurt let out a horrified yelp as he realized he had been pushing back against him. "Please, stop," he whispered, - "Please."_

"_Shut up you fucking slut!" the man yelled, - "Don't tell me you don't love this. Oh god… Yes.!" He was moaning incoherent words now. "I'm not gonna be much longer, I want you to come with me."_

_Kurt let out a long scream as he felt his muscles clenching as he toppled over the edge. "No... Ohh god… No, no, no…!"_

"No! Please…"

"Ssh… Kurt, baby, it's okay, I'm right here…"

Kurt's eyes flew open as he found himself in the strong hold of Noah Puckerman, his boyfriend, hearing his soothing voice and feeling his soft breath against his skin. "Baby…"

Puck looked into the eyes of his boyfriend and cupped his face. "Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded vaguely. "Yeah," he said, - "I was just having a nightmare…"

Puck nodded, and it wasn't until then that Kurt realized he was holding onto the bigger boy for the life of him. And Puck was holding onto him. Kurt nuzzled into his boyfriend's neck before slowly pulling away and lying down under the covers again.

"Was it about…?" Puck asked, but he didn't need to say more. Kurt nodded.

"Yeah," he said, - "It was."

Puck nodded solemnly and pulled his boyfriend closer. "Want me to get you anything?"

Kurt looked at him with pleading eyes. "Stay with me?"

Puck was badass enough to admit that his heart broke a little at that sentence. "Of course, baby," he said, as he wrapped his arms around the brunette, determined not to fall asleep until he did.

Right as he noticed Kurt's eyes flicker and realized his mind was drifting, he heard the raspy voice of one Quinn Fabray: "What's happening?"

Damn, why did she have to be such a light-sleeper? Kurt opened his eyes, looking around warily. "Kurt, you were crying in your sleep," she said, as if that explained something.

"Yeah…," Kurt said, - "Bad dream."

Quinn sat up on the couch. "That didn't sound like just any bad dream," she said a bit hesitantly. She inhaled deeply and let out a breath. "Kurt, I went to a lot of meetings for young mothers when I was pregnant… I've heard stories, Kurt, of how it's like when you've been…" She stopped herself, realization suddenly hitting her… It couldn't be. Her instincts couldn't be right. Not Kurt… She had to ask.

"Kurt, I am gonna ask you this once, and I will know if you lie," she said, taking another breath, - "Did anyone molest you?"

She asked as carefully as possible, praying it wasn't true, praying she was wrong. But seeing Puck's mortified facial expression, an expression she had never before seen on his features, she knew she'd been right. And that thought caused a few tears to fall from her eyes, which she wiped away rapidly. Kurt just looked at her. "How did you know?" he asked.

Her voice was shaking. "I…," she said, - "Some of the mother, they'd been… Kurt, when did this happen?"

Kurt was grateful she was still whispering. "Freshman year," he said, - "I don't need therapy or anything, it's not like I think about it all the time. It just happens occasionally, like any bad memory… Just worse…"

Quinn nodded slowly, before she got off the couch and wrapped the boy into a hug, which he returned. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, - "Who did it?"

"A former costumer of his dad's," Puck explained, knowing Kurt didn't really need to talk right now, - "He's in jail now. They caught him 'bout a year later."

"I'll kill him," Quinn said, and Puck jumped a little. It was the first time he had ever heard such a strong and brutal statement from his wholesome ex-girlfriend.

Kurt gave a chuckle. "You'll need to join Puck and Finn on that mission," he said. Quinn looked like she thought for a while, before she just gave a slow nod.

"Ok," she said, before she slowly got up and into the kitchen. "I'm gonna get myself some ice tea," she said, - "I'm not gonna be able to sleep anymore tonight anyway. You two go back to bed, though."

The boys looked hesitant for a second, before Puck lay down and pulled Kurt along with him. "You okay?" he asked.

Kurt looked at him. "At least I will be," he said.

Puck sighed and nuzzled into his neck, softly and lovingly. "That's all I can ask," he said, before they got content on the mattress again and fell asleep.

**A/N: OK, So I end the chapter here. We will see a little more from Puck and Kurt's summer vacation in the next chapter, as well as it will be the "Purple Piano Project" episode. Hope you liked this!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here comes the second summer chapter, which also kind of is the "The Purple Piano Project" chapter. Quinn will not be going through her rebellious façade, because I didn't feel like it would be necessary. This is an AU after all. There are some shockers in this chapter, and the chapter is also really short compared to the others that I've written. I will update sooner this time, though. Anyway; hope you enjoy!**

**I am so thrilled the hiatus is finally over! "Big Brother" was a good episode. Loved the Puckurt-ness of it.**

Kurt and Puck had agreed to babysit Puck's younger sister Sarah a couple of days before going back to school. Their mother had told them she was going on this thing with some people from work.

"Bullshit," Puck had muttered to Kurt as he asked him to come over. He knew Santana was right that asking people to babysit with you not only was super-90's but also totally lame, but hell. Kurt was good with children, and besides, he was his boyfriend. They spent time together. That was what they did.

They put Sarah to bed that night after having been up with her until far past bed time to watch Disney movies. Of course Kurt sang along to every single song, and Puck found it too insanely adorable to be true. Again: When the hell did he become this person?

As they had put Sarah to bed, they went over to Puck's room. "My bed's smaller than yours," Puck commented, looking over to his boyfriend who was starting his moisturizing routine, - "That OK?"

Kurt looked over to him and smiled. "Of course," he said. He finished his moisturizing routine, quickly changed to his pajamas and got into bed with Puck under the covers. He snuggled up closely, resting his head on his boyfriend's chest. He grabbed his hand and ran his fingers smoothly up and down his arm. "It's not that I'm uncomfortable with you," he explained after a while, - "It's just that I'm not ready. You're the only person I want to be intimate with…"

Puck nodded and wrapped his arms around the countertenor. "I know that," he said, - "And it's still no pressure. It never is and it never will be."

Kurt gave a sigh and got comfortable on the sheets, now able to look into the eyes of the handsome man beside him. "I just wish I was able to do it now…," he confessed, - "Because part of me wants to, but I just… I can't bring myself to it or something."

"Hey," Puck said softly, resting his hand on Kurt's cheek for a moment, - "No pressure. Take your time."

Kurt nodded slowly, before bringing Puck's hand to his lips. "You mean everything to me, you know that?" he said.

Puck grinned slightly, before kissing the top of his boyfriend's head. "Right back, princess."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

They were awoken by 4 am the next morning, by the sound of a beer bottle hitting the wall right beside him.

"The hell?" Puck barely had time to wipe the sleep out of his eyes before he realized what was happening: A beer bottle had hit the wall and his mom was standing in the doorway. _His _doorway. And he was resting in _his _bed, shirtless, with his arms still around Kurt.

Fuck.

"Oh shit," he muttered, ready to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" his mother yelled, as he stormed pass her towards Sarah's room.

"I'm going to check on Sarah because you are too fucking drunk to do it," Puck said angrily.

"You are not going anywhere, Noah Puckerman!" his mother yelled after him. Kurt walked up to her, putting his arms on hers, trying to get her into bed, but she shook him off.

"Don't touch me, you fucking faggot!" she yelled at him, and Puck came back rather quickly, having noticed that Sarah still was fast asleep. Thank god she was a heavy sleeper.

"Mom," he said, even more angry than before, grabbing a firm hold on her arms and leading her towards her bedroom against her will, - "You are going to bed now."

He looked over to Kurt. "You OK?" he asked gently. Kurt just nodded and mouthed 'I'm fine'. He was more worried how his boyfriend was doing right now, to be honest.

Puck led his mother towards her bed, tucked her in under the covers, firmly but gently, and put her on her side. "Now you stay in that position, OK?" he said, an angry tone still resting in his voice, - "No laying on your back, that might kill you."

He went to get a bucket, which he placed beside her bed. "If you have to throw up, use this," he said. It was apparent he had done this before, and that thought scared Kurt a little. He felt bad for not having asked Puck enough how life was at his home. He had figured it wasn't normal by any means, but Puck hadn't exactly talked about it a lot either.

Not that he had been completely oblivious, of course. He knew his father had been abusive, and that his mom was drinking a lot, but seeing it made it all so much realer.

"What has he done to you, Noah?" his mother whined, pointing at Kurt.

Puck looked at her for a few moments, contemplating whether or not to remove the bucket or flip her over on her back after all. "Screw this," he said, walking out of the room.

Kurt followed him back to his room. When Puck had sat down in his bed again, Kurt was still standing in the doorway, right where Puck's mother had stood just a few minutes ago.

Puck looked at him, and gave away the best grin he could manage. Kurt knew it wasn't real. "You can come back here, you know," Puck said, - "I won't bite… Unless you want me to."

Kurt managed a soft chuckle as he got back on the bed with Puck, sitting with his back resting against the pillows. He grabbed Puck's hand. "I'm really sorry," he said.

Puck looked at him and squeezed his hand. He nodded vaguely. "Me too," he said.

"Guess you're in a lot of trouble now, huh?" Kurt asked.

Puck shrugged. "Maybe," he said, - "If we're lucky she won't remember it tomorrow."

Kurt frowned a little. "But if she doesn't…," he said, allowing himself to push, - "What will happen?"

Puck shook his head. "I don't know," he said, - "Worst comes the worst, she kicks me out."

Kurt nodded vaguely. "And that's not bothering you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course it's bothering me!" Puck said a little more impulsive than he had wanted it to be. He calmed down a little. "It is, it's just… It's a softer version of what was with my dad, I guess. Just another parent tossing me aside. The one I am worried about is Sarah. She needs her brother."

Kurt looked at him, before he rested his head on his shoulder. "It shouldn't be that way," he said, - "With your parents, I mean…"

Puck shook his head and tucked his boyfriend closer. "But it is that way," he said, - "Nothing I can do about it."

"We will figure something out," Kurt assured, - "When it comes to Sarah."

Puck planted a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead.

Neither of them said much more that early morning, but neither of them got much sleep either.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

By nine am the next morning the boys finally dared to go out of Puck's bedroom. Puck knew his mother always was up by that time after having been drinking. He was rather surprised his mother hadn't come into their room after her hysterical outburst earlier that morning. Maybe they had gotten lucky after all; maybe she had forgotten all about it.

Puck decided they'd go in to check on Sarah first. She was still in her bed, but she wasn't asleep. "Hey baby girl," he said softly, as he approached her bedside. He pulled her hair away from her eyes, - "Couldn't sleep?"

Usually his sister slept until noon on the weekends. "Mom is always so angry," Sarah said, causing Puck to let out a frustrated sigh.

"I know," he said, - "I know." He knew his sister was bright for her age. She completely understood what caused her mom's anger all the time. He was glad he didn't have to explain anything to her.

"You're always gonna stay with me, right?" she asked her brother.

Puck looked over to Kurt, emotion stinging in his eyes. Kurt knew he was caught in the dilemma between potentially lying to his sister and breaking her heart.

"Yes, honey," Kurt promised the little girl, - "Noah is always gonna stay with you."

She nodded vaguely, but both boys could tell she didn't believe them. Puck got up from her bedside and walked out with his boyfriend. "Thank you," he said as soon as they were outside.

"Don't mention it," Kurt shrugged.

Rebekah Puckerman was seated by the kitchen table as the boys approached her, ever so nervously. "Morning mom," Puck said, as casually as possible, praying she didn't remember anything, - "You getting yourself some breakfast? I was about to get me some…"

"Get out."

Puck turned towards his mother. "What?" He perfectly well knew what she said, but he couldn't really bring himself to comprehend it.

"Get out of my house," Rebekah said, and Puck had never heard her be so persistent about anything. Keeping up his tough façade, even though he was falling apart inside, he asked:

"How are you gonna manage without me? You're out drinking every weekend, and Sarah is terrified of you. And your economy won't keep both of you alive."

Kurt looked over to his boyfriend, terrified of how good he was at keeping tough.

"We'll manage," Rebekah said firmly, - "Now get out. I can't have a fag living at my house."

Puck dropped his plates, as he walked over to the table, sitting down in front of his mom.

"Mom, you can't do this," he said, his voice softer this time, almost pleading.

"This is my house, now isn't it?" Rebekah asked, sarcastically.

"Sarah needs me," Puck argued, not even bothering to mention that he paid a lot of their rent too.

Rebekah looked at him, a new, evil spirit in her eyes that Puck couldn't remember having seen there before. "She doesn't need your influence," she said, - "It's not good for her. Now, please leave."

Puck didn't even bother arguing back. He just walked up to his room, packed the most important stuff he owned, and got out, Kurt following suit after. The countertenor knew better than to speak up.

As they approached the door that led to Sarah's bedroom, Puck's attitude softened and he walked inside. Kurt waited in the hallway.

Puck came out after a minute, wiping furiously at his eyes. "She's asleep," he said, his voice thick with emotion. Kurt took a deep breath as he reached out to rub his boyfriend's back comfortingly. Puck gave a soft smile. "We need to be going now," he said.

As they walked by the kitchen one last time, Puck asked his mother: "How are you gonna tell Sarah I'm gone?" He didn't need to mention his promise about staying with her forever.

Rebekah looked at him. "She'll understand," she said, - "Go now."

She gave a nod, and the boys walked outside, getting into Puck's car, Puck by the steering wheel. They sat like that for a while, the scenario reminding them of Kurt's breakdown during their Rumors assignment.

"I can drive right now," Puck said, leaving a dry chuckle. Kurt nodded, and delivered a somewhat encouraging smile.

"It's okay," he said, - "I'll drive."

They switched spots, and Kurt got by the steering wheel. Before he started the truck, he pulled his boyfriend in for a long embrace, grateful that he didn't pull away.

"It's gonna be okay," the smaller boy promised, as he rubbed comforting circles over his boyfriend's back. He had comforted him so much in his life. Now it was most definitely his turn to return the favor.

Puck felt the tears approaching, and he let a few fall. "It's okay," Kurt said, - "I love you."

"I love you too," Puck replied, pulling away, and looking into his boyfriend's eyes, - "So much."

Kurt smiled and started the truck, not letting go of his boyfriend's house. "Just take me to a motel or something," Puck said, - "I'll stay there until I get something better to do."

Kurt looked at him doubtfully. "You're not going to a motel," he said firmly, - "You're coming home with me."

"What, are we going to tell your dad and his shotgun too now?" Puck asked.

Kurt squeezed his hand. "If it turns out we have to," he said.

Puck shook his head. "I can't stay at your place, Kurt," he said.

"Of course you can," Kurt argued, as he pulled Puck's hand to his lips, - "Of course you can."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

"Dad, I need to ask you something," Kurt said, as he approached the living room with his boyfriend that day.

"Cool, can you make it quick? 'Deadliest Catch' is on."

"It's kind of important," Kurt said, immediately getting his father's ultimate attention. Burt shut off the TV and looked up at his son and the boy beside him.

"Hey Puckerman," he said a little confused, - "What is it?"

"Puck's mom kicked him out," Kurt said immediately.

Burt frowned. "Why?" he asked. Seriously, the woman had taken Quinn in when Puck had impregnated her; she didn't kick him out when he got to Juvie. What could he possibly have done that made her kick him out?

Puck and Kurt shared a conflicted look, before Kurt said: "Dad, Puck's my boyfriend."

Burt's calm face fell and was replaced by one of skepticism."

"Dad," Kurt snapped him out of his murderous thoughts, - "Can he stay here for a while? He has nowhere else to be."

Burt took a deep breath, before he turned to Puck. "Promise you won't hurt him?"

"Promise, sir," Puck assured.

Burt sighed. "Fine," he said, - "I'm not that happy about it, but I'm even less happy about how your mom has been treating you, so I'll let you stay here for as long as you'd like."

"Thank you so much, sir," Puck said, trying to keep his formal persona up (if he even had a formal persona to begin with).

The boys were about to head up for Kurt's room when Burt called after his son: "Kurt, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure dad," Kurt said, going back to his dad.

Burt took a deep breath. "This Puckerman guy…," he said, - "He's not pressuring you, is he?"

"Absolutely not, dad," Kurt said.

"You guys haven't…?" Burt said, immediately getting embarrassed. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"No, if you absolutely must know," Kurt said, - "He's a completely different guy once you get to know him. I promise."

Burt nodded. "Fine, I'll have to settle with that."

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt and Puck went to bed early that day. By nine pm they were both in Kurt's bed. It was actually a pretty good idea too, seeing as they had school the day after.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Kurt asked as he snuggled closer to his boyfriend.

Puck pulled him closer. "I will be," he said.

Right as they were about to fall asleep, Puck's phone rang. He sat up and answered, not bothering to check who was calling.

"Go for Puck," he said, making Kurt smile slightly, also having sat up now.

"Noah?" a small girl voice said, and Puck immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Sarah?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with concerned.

Kurt got up behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Puck grabbed one of his hands in his own, holding the phone in the other. "What's the matter, baby girl?"

"Mom has gone out again," Sarah explained, giving a sniffle. Puck wished so badly he could hold her right now, - "She was very mad. Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it true you're not coming back?"

By that Puck broke down for the first time that day. It was actually the first time Kurt had seen him really break down. And it absolutely broke his heart. He hugged him tighter. Puck let the tears fall freely for what seemed like forever before he said, as calmly as he could: "No, it's not true. I am coming back Sarah." He took a shaky breath. "As a matter of fact I am coming right now to pick you up and you're coming with me." There was a break. "That what you want?"

"Yes," Sarah confirmed, and Puck noticed the devastated tone in her voice had faded just a little. He wished he could say the same thing about himself.

"OK," Puck said weakly, - "OK, I'll be there in five."

There was a break. "I love you, Noah," his sister said, causing a few more tears to fall.

"I love you too," Puck said, - "Don't forget that."

He hung up and wiped his eyes. "We need to go get Sarah; mom's gone out drinking again."

He tried to keep his voice casual, but Kurt grabbed a hold on his arm as he was about to get up. He pulled him into a hug, letting him cry a little longer. "You don't always have to try to be the strong one," Kurt assured him when he was done crying.

Puck nodded. "I know," he said, - "But I still do."

They both grabbed the nearest clothes they could find, it being very rare for Kurt to be so random about his choices of clothing, as they all but ran downstairs, where Burt was still sitting, watching TV.

"Where you kids going?" he asked.

"It's Sarah, Puck's sister," Kurt explained, - "Her… or their mom has gone out drinking again, we need to pick her up."

Burt turned off the TV and rose up in a rage. "What is it with that woman?" he asked.

"She's insane," Puck said, - "Always have been. Come on, Kurt. I promised we'd be there in five and that's more than five minutes ago."

Kurt ran after him, not missing his dad's call of 'drive safely!'

**PKPKPK**

Puck drove all but safely to his, no, to Sarah and Rebekah's place. While Kurt under normal circumstances would have wanted to make a comment, this was anything but normal circumstances.

They approached the Puckerman household as Puck hurriedly walked out of the car, ran towards the house, locked himself in (it wasn't like he had thrown away the key yet) and came out of the house again only seconds later, carrying Sarah, along with her pajamas and her teddy bear.

He placed her in the backseat of their car and fastened her seatbelt, before he got by the steering wheel and drove away.

"Hey Kurty!" Sarah exclaimed as she noticed Kurt was with them. She didn't seem tired at all, let alone sad or scared anymore.

Kurt turned around and faced her. "Hey Sarah," he said softly and Puck gave his first real chuckle that entire day. Kurt was glad, even though he didn't really understand what it was Puck suddenly was chuckling about.

"Noah?" Sarah asked as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

Puck looked over to Kurt. "Kurt's place," he explained, - "I'll be staying there for quite a long while."

Sarah nodded as if she understood everything but Puck knew she didn't. "What did mom say about me?" he asked.

Sarah looked uncomfortable. "She said you didn't want anything to do with us anymore," she said, - "I don't believe her."

Puck was relieved. "Don't believe her, sweetie," he said, contemplating whether or not he should give away the entire truth right away. He decided that Sarah was a smart girl who easily could handle the truth. "Wanna know why I mom kicked me out?"

Sarah looked at him, curiously. "She kicked you out?" she asked, a shocked expression resting on her features.

"Yep," Puck confirmed.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

Puck looked over to Kurt. "Because she doesn't like me being with Kurt."

Sarah looked at him. "Why?" she asked again.

Kurt decided to take over. "You know how some boys can love boys and girls can love girls, right?" he asked.

"Yes?" Sarah said. She had heard about that in school, but she still didn't have the capacity of where this was going yet.

"See, Kurt and I love each other," Puck said bluntly, instantly grabbing Kurt's hand.

Sarah was silent for a few seconds. "Is that why mom is mad at you?" she asked.

"Yep," Puck said again.

Sarah was silent again before she spoke up: "I think you should be in love with Kurt instead of living with mom. So you won't have to take care of her."

Puck nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "She just needs to learn how to take care of you."

"You can take care of me!" Sarah argued, - "I love you the most in the whole wide world."

Puck took a deep breath. "We will figure something out," he promised. He just wasn't sure what.

****

Sarah fell asleep in the middle of Kurt's bed as soon as they approached Kurt's bedroom again. Puck looked down at her, a sweet smile on his features. Kurt walked up to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Puck returned the hug.

"I'm so glad I have you," he whispered to his boyfriend.

"Now you finally know how I feel about you," Kurt smiled back, realizing how lamely cliché that sounded already before he had said it.

They got comfortable on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The next morning Puck and Kurt got Sarah dressed for school, and drove her before they approached McKinley.

Puck had always seen first day of school as awkwardly similar to Titanic; it begun alright, but then you had to get to class.

This was even more terrifying. Not only did he and Kurt have to put up with even more weird looks than they had before school ended, as well as having to deal with the fact that both Sam and Lauren had left, that the only potential addition to the Glee club was a girl who was mildly spoken tone-deaf and a brutal food fight during the day, but by the end of the day, they were approached by Mike and Tina, who both had very stern looks on their faces. And that was really saying something, because neither Puck nor Kurt could even remember them looking stern. Somewhat angry? Yes. Annoyed? Yes. Sad? Yes, especially in Tina's case. But this new authority frightened them both.

"We need to have a talk," Tina said. She actually looked serious to top it all off. Something was definitely up.

"'Sup Mulan?" Puck asked, making Tina roll her eyes. She was used to his jokes, but that didn't make them funny.

"Why did you tell us you two had sex, when Kurt apparently told Tina and the girls they haven't?"

_That _was what this was about? Seriously. That was why they were looking so fucking serious? Wow, this school sucked. Puck looked over to his boyfriend, who looked slightly more serious about the manner than he was. He kind of got why, so he decided to let the Puckzilla save the day:

"Because I'm a selfish asshole," he said, - "I brag about everything. Seriously, you can't believe everything I say."

He was a terrible liar, and he knew it. He seriously needed to work on that. "You're lying," Mike insisted, - "You would never admit that."

"Why do you want to know anyway?" Kurt asked.

"Because you are one of my best friends, Kurt," Tina said, still being authoritative, - "You've never lied to me about anything but your usual 'I'm fine' comments when I know you're not. Something must be bothering you."

It was said as a statement, but she had meant it to be a question. Kurt took a deep breath. "It's not something you want to know," he said, not really realizing that he had already admitted to the fact that yes, something was in fact bothering him.

"Yes, I want to know," Tina said, - "We've been friends for two years; I have the right to know."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Ask Quinn," he said, - "I don't want to tell more people in person."

He and Puck walked pass the couple, and Kurt quickly texted Quinn:

"_Feel free to tell the people in Glee everything. They have the right to know."_

He got a response almost immediately:

"_Why? R u sure? What happened?"_

"_Tike knows something's up and I kind of want people to know. No more lies."_

Puck and Kurt got into the car as Quinn's reply came:

"_Fine. Will do."_

Kurt and Puck got in the car, ready to pick up Sarah from school again.

Could life possibly be more complicated?

**A/N: I'm sorry, I know this chapter was really short, but I will update very soon. Quite possibly by Thursday or something, so stay tuned! In the next chapter we will learn the New Directions' reaction to the 'news', and we will get to see how Puck deals with his mom and Sarah.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Shit, I'm so sorry! I know I promised you a chapter by Thursday, but I still have some of a writer's block, so I couldn't do it. So sorry. However; here's the next chapter. It is containing the rest of TPPP, but mostly it deals with the Glee kids finding out what happened to Kurt, and how Puck deals with the issue about his mother. Some insight on the Glee kids' reactions to Puck and his mom here.**

**Seeing as Tina gets so few storylines on the show, I at least decided to give her some "screen-time" here. She is a wonderful and sweet character, who, despite everyone talking about how they want her to have a storyline, is so underappreciated. She has been there and stood by everyone's side all along. I hope you like the way I wrote her.**

Puck gave his mom a call right before dinner that day. Kurt had still not heard anything from his Glee mates. Maybe Quinn hadn't told them yet. After all, it must have been really hard to find a proper time and setting to tell something like that to your friends. How did you pass that news without concrete questions anyway? He heard Puck answer the phone as his mother apparently picked up:

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked her, rather calmly. There was a pause, before he said: "What do you mean, what am I talking about? You went out drinking at fucking nine pm last night and left your nine-year-old kid at home! … She's with me now… Where do you think? … At Kurt's. … No, I'm not handing her over to you in your state. … No. … You know what? I'm doing you a favor here... No listen; I'm doing you a favor. She stays with me for a week and you get some time to figure whether you want to be out every night drinking or take care for your child. It's your call. Meanwhile she's with me, unless you wanna see me and pick her up."

He turned towards his boyfriend. "I think we made some kind of agreement," he shrugged.

Kurt looked at him curiously, urging him to go on about whatever it was that he was about to go on with. "She'll come and pick her up when she feels ready, but she will have to come here," he explained.

Kurt nodded solemnly, before he gave his boyfriend a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

He still knew what a stupid question that was, but he needed some assurance that his boyfriend would be dealing healthily with all of this. He knew it was a lot to handle, and he would appreciate it if the boy in front of him, who had comforted him so much the past months, would let him comfort him the same way… Or in a similar way at least.

Puck looked at him and smiled softly. Then he shrugged. "I don't know," he said, sitting down in front of him, grabbing his hands instantly, and caressing them. Kurt nodded understandingly, before he shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe it…," he said.

"What?" Puck laughed, chuckling slightly at his boyfriend's apparent rage.

"How someone could do that," Kurt commented, - "To their own son of all people."

Puck gave another smile, this one being a little sadder. "Are we having one of these again?" he asked.

Kurt looked had him questioningly. "One of what?"

"Another 'Kurt wanting the Puckster to open up a little'-moment."

Kurt chuckled a little at the amusing fact that even in this state Puck referred to himself, not only in third person, but with one of his many nicknames as well. "I guess we are," he said, shrugging in a way that made Puck, if possible, find him even more adorable.

Puck pulled off a grin that almost looked as badass as he had attempted for it to be. "Not very good with emotions." He gave a sigh, before saying: "I'm fine, Kurt." Even Brittany would have been able to see that he only said that to make Kurt leave it, and Kurt wasn't stupid.

"I know I'm being annoying," Kurt said, a little apologizing, - "But I can tell you're not."

Puck sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You're not being annoying, babe," he assured. He took a deep breath, before simply stating: "I love Sarah." He gave Kurt a firm nod. "I love you. You two are everything that matters to me."

Kurt looked at him with a sad smile. "And," Puck said, shaking his head in disbelief, - "I have gotten this crazy, insane thought that you will never turn your backs on me…" He gave a dry chuckle. "How fucking naïve and pathetic is that?"

And that was the moment where Kurt Hummel realized that everything that had happened in his life these past months, had made sense. And that he was blessed with the most wonderful boy in the world. And that was also the moment he realized that Puck's supposedly naïve and pathetic mind had been right. He was never going to turn his back on him. Because he needed him almost as much as he loved him.

Not really knowing how to explain all this, he just got up from the table and walked over to his boyfriend, motioning for him to make room for him on his lap. When he was seated, he grabbed a hold on his boyfriend's face and kissed him softly. "You mean everything to me, Puck," he said, - "You're right. I won't turn my back on you."

Puck gave a relieved sigh. "Oh baby," he whispered, as he pulled his boyfriend in for a warm embrace. Neither one of them pulled away for another five minutes.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

This was definitely not Tina Cohen Chang's day. And that was pretty weird, because she had had a wonderful summer. She had finally given her virginity to Mike and it had been amazing, they were still like a completely new-born couple even though they had been together for more than a year now, and her school spirit was at its peak. Then why did she have this weird, empty feeling in her stomach that told her everything was not as it should be?

It was Kurt. She didn't know why, but the two of them had always looked out for each other. She still remembered how his arms had instantly grabbed her as they were both pushed towards the locker with force by Karofsky and Azimio during Gaga week. She also remembered how he had shot back at the jocks about how picking on him was fine, but throwing around a girl just implied that they were both dropped on their heads as infants.

She wasn't about to forget that either, so she had constantly stood up for him when Karofsky's bullying escalated further.

But it wasn't that. It wasn't the bullying this time. She didn't quite know what it was, but it was something. It wasn't new either. She had seen it in him all the while, but the reason why she only noticed now was because he had so much more on his shoulder on top of whatever this was before. Now that everything was supposed to be fine, she didn't realize how it couldn't be. There was something he wasn't telling her.

So when she later that day found out that Puck had told all the guys, and evidently lied about it, that he and Kurt had done the deed, while Kurt completely honestly had told the girls that they hadn't, she realized that the couple was hiding something together. For a minute she was worried whether or not Puck was good enough for Kurt, but she quickly let all her defensive thoughts against Puck down. He had been honorable when it came to Kurt. Even she, the good girl she was, had to admit that.

Then what was it? She was worried and she needed to know. And she was a pretty determined girl. If she wanted something, she went after it. After all, she had practically made Principal Figgins her bitch due to her little vampire scenarios.

But nothing, _nothing_, could prepare her for the news Quinn gave her and Mike that day right before they were leaving for school.

"Quinn," Mike had said firmly, true business man voice, - "We need you to tell us something."

Quinn let out a content little sigh as she pulled them aside. "I know what you're going to ask," she said softly. Then she ran her hand through her hair in a swift move, and said in a frustrated voice: "We need to go somewhere for this…"

They headed for the choir room, where Quinn sat down neatly on the piano chair. She took a deep breath. "I don't know if you really want to hear this," she said.

"We do, Quinn," Tina promised, - "Now, please tell us, we're worried."

Quinn gave a soft laugh that didn't sound the least happy. "You have the right to be, that's for sure."

The couple was pretty sure that wasn't meant to be said out loud. "Tell us, Quinn," Tina pleaded, - "Please."

Quinn took another deep breath. "This is about something that…," she flinched weakly, - "Happened to Kurt in freshman year."

She interpreted the word 'happened' as if she didn't really like using it. Mike and Tina both frowned a little.

"In freshman year?" Mike asked, - "What does that have to do with anything, really…?"

He stopped himself. Could it really be that bad? Hadn't the poor guy been through enough?

Quinn sighed. "Guys, I really don't think…" She was hesitant but Tina interrupted her, firmer this time:

"Quinn," she said, - "We're practically adults. All of us. We can deal. You have Kurt _and _Puck's permission. Now tell."

"Yeah, this isn't about Puckerman, is it?" Mike asked.

"No," Quinn stated firmly, - "Puck has been… incredible, really, when it comes to all of this… Fine, I'm just gonna say it."

She stood up and started pacing. She couldn't be calm why telling this. She had a hard enough time to deal with it on her own; she definitely didn't need to tell anyone. But Kurt had confided in her, given her the permission to tell everyone his deepest secret. She felt somewhat honored about that. So therefore she did as she was told, and ran the story:

"Mike, Puck told you that he and Kurt had slept together, right?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, - "But then when confronted about it, he changed his mind or something."

Quinn looked like she thought for a moment. "Yeah," she said, - "Well, the thing is, Kurt and Puck haven't done it, but…" She found the way of saying it that she thought was the best. It was also the only way she managed to say it: "But just because Kurt hasn't slept with Puck, doesn't mean he's a virgin."

Mike and Tina now looked more confused than ever. Oh, great. "Why would we need to know that?" Mike asked.

Tina grabbed his hand. "I don't think she's finished," she said silently.

Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm not finished."

"Was it that Blaine guy?" Mike asked.

Quinn smiled sadly at his obliviousness. "No," she said, - "Remember, this was in freshman year…"

She felt like she was playing 'guess who', and she knew it was unfair, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth so bluntly.

"He was fifteen," Tina whispered, and Mike looked at her, - "You must have gotten something wrong here, Quinn, Kurt was far too innocent when he was fifteen to…"

Sometimes friends just know stuff about you before having heard the exact truth being said out loud. And at that moment, Tina Cohen Chang, just immediately knew the truth about the past of her dear friend, Kurt Hummel.

"Oh god…," she whispered, as tears started falling freely. Now, Tina was a crier, but usually they were quiet sobs. This time there were only tears. Silent tears flowing down the cheeks of the Asian girl. "It can't be…," she whispered, but when Quinn gave her a devastated, confirming nod, she fell into her boyfriend's arms, still not sobbing, just letting tears fall freely onto his shirt.

Sometimes good friends aren't the only ones who know. Sometimes lovers know too, and Mike knew, the moment his girlfriend broke down in his lap, in a way he had never seen her break down before, what had happened back then… In freshman year.

He was good at math, and this math was simple: Kurt having sex in freshman year. No way. Kurt being taken advantage of in freshman year? Sadly, that was more likely. But Mike rarely cried. He couldn't remember the last time he cried over anything, really. It must have been many years ago. So instead of letting tears fall as he was trying to comfort his girlfriend, he looked up at Quinn with a glare the blonde had never seen before on the usually calm boy's face.

"Who?" he asked, his voice suddenly much darker than it usually was.

Quinn was crying now too, silently, and she was trying to cover it up, but she was crying. "A former customer of his dad's," she explained, trying to keep her voice at bay. This caused the small girl in Mike's arms to break down. Here came her first sob and everything just escalated from there.

Mike held her for quite some time longer, while Quinn just stood there, somewhat awkwardly. "I have gotten his permission to tell the rest of the club as well," she said eventually, continuing rather rapidly: "It's better that we know, so words don't start to travel."

Tina wiped at her eyes and said in a shaky voice. "Yeah, like Rumors week."

When Mike finally was sure his girlfriend was contently standing on her own legs again, he stood up slowly, trying to keep a casual attitude, knowing he was failing in that department.

"Where's the… Where's he now?" he managed asking.

"Prison," Quinn stated, rather matter-of-factly compared to the circumstances, - "He'd…" She took a deep breath. "There were other kids."

Her voice cracked slightly, but it didn't really matter. "Fuck…," Mike muttered, and that being said, he rarely swore compared to a lot of boys his age.

Quinn nodded solemnly, looking down on his girlfriend, who was still wiping her eyes. "You okay, Tina?" she asked friendly, knowing it was a ridiculous question.

Tina nodded, even though the two others in the room knew it was a giant lie.

"Who else knows?" Mike asked.

"Not many," Quinn said, - "You two, me, Puck, Finn… Kurt… That's pretty much it."

Mike shook his head in disbelief. "Have they taken a trip to prison to beat his ass yet?"

Both Quinn and Tina were somewhat shocked at how… frightening the usually calm boy had become. Still, Quinn couldn't say she was surprised. She had seen the protective attitude Finn had gotten lately whenever Kurt was a round. She had also seen the look in Puck's eyes when he'd held his boyfriend close after his nightmare. Of course, his eyes were filled with sympathy, and most importantly, love, but there had been something else there too. Something attached to his resident badass-persona and protectiveness all rolled into one. He looked capable of and ready to murder whoever had managed hurting the person he loved this badly. If she'd been the guilty one here, she would hide somewhere much more isolated and safe than a prison.

"No," Quinn still said, - "As much as Puck probably wants to, he is now more devoted to _Kurt_ than… You know… And from what I gather, Finn is still trying to find his own way to contain himself from prioritizing his hate for the guy or his brotherly love for Kurt, so…"

She gave a light shrug.

Mike shook his head. "Well, god knows I wanna punch his face in…," he muttered, before he more casually turned back to Quinn, - "How does he want us to…? I mean… Should we comfort him or?"

Quinn shook her head. "I think he would appreciate it if you tried to act normal around him, at the same time as you don't hide the fact that you know…"

Mike looked like he thought for a while. He was a smart guy. He could do that. Tina nodded solemnly. "OK," she whispered, - "But I might need to talk to him."

Quinn smiled. "Give him a call or something. I have more on my hands." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm gonna tell the entire club, today, and I have no idea how I am gonna do it."

Mike shrugged sadly. "Do it over Facebook. Write everyone a… formal message or something."

Both Quinn and Tina gave him a look. "Mike!" Tina said firmly, - "You're saying she should tell something like that over _Facebook?_ Mercedes will flip, Santana will kill somebody, Brittany will probably not understand, Rachel will cry for weeks. As a matter of fact, the only one who is gonna be able to handle this rather sensibly is Artie."

"That's gonna happen either way," Quinn said. She sounded decided. "No, Mike is right. It will somehow be better that way. It won't make it seem like that big of a deal…"

"It is a big deal," Tina argued.

"I know," Quinn said, - "But I'm decided. I will of course ask Kurt first, if he is okay with it. But I think his policy is the less drama, the better."

Tina gave in. "Fine," she said, - "Do as you please."

The couple slowly but surely exited the choir room in silence after a few minutes, leaving Quinn left to try to figure things out on her own.

**PKPKPKPK**

Puck and Kurt were in Kurt's room, as they usually were nowadays. The Hummel-Hudson household already contained four people, which made the space very tight, and to add Sarah and Puck on top of that almost made it an orphanage.

Not that Burt or Carole minded much. Carole had loved Puck even on his most douchy days, and while Burt was trying to adjust to his son having Noah Puckerman out of all people as his boyfriend, he couldn't deny the fact that he liked the kid. He seemed to be good for his son.

Finn was getting used to the fact that his stepbrother and best friend were dating surprisingly quickly. Besides, he and Puck had been inseparable for years (despite a few bumps in the road of course), so it would definitely not be difficult to have him in the house.

He was pissed at Puck's mom though. Pissed, but not surprised. The woman was like a fucking volcano. She dealt with some difficulties like it was no issue at all, but with others, she went mental. Puck being in love with Kurt turned out to be one of those "issues". What was the big deal anyway?

But even though no one bothered, as of right now, Puck and Kurt were in Puck's room. Sarah was playing on the floor, while the couple was seated on Kurt's bed, Puck with an arm around his boyfriend. They were rather silent, and Kurt knew that Puck being silent, usually meant Puck thinking hard about something. It wasn't exactly a light atmosphere, so Kurt decided, for once, to do something about that.

"How come you're so good with children?" he asked his boyfriend as he gestured to Sarah.

Puck looked at him a little surprised, before he let out a chuckle. "Not good with children, just good with her," he explained.

Kurt gave a sweet little smile as he cuddled into his boyfriend's chest. He reached for his hand and started playing with it. Puck had to grin at the fact that his boyfriend's hands were ridiculously small compared to his. He could fit both of Kurt's hands in his one hand.

He let out a sigh. Despite everything that was happening in his life at the moment, he was happy. A little empty, sure, but happy nonetheless. And it was because of the little girl on the floor in front of him, and it was because of the boy that was currently leaning against his chest. He kissed the top of Kurt's head gently, and noticed the smile that appeared on the smaller boy's face.

He was probably the luckiest guy in the world. He had to laugh at what Finn had been missing out on in sophomore year, when Kurt still had a crush on him.

He knew he would sacrifice a lot more than the love of his nerve-wreck of a mother just so he could have Kurt. It was still hard to deal with of course, but he would cope.

He wouldn't trade this happiness for anything.

Kurt's phone gave a buzz, and he looked at it. "It's from Tina," he said, and Puck gave him a look.

"Are you thinking the same as me?" he asked.

Kurt nodded vaguely. "Yeah, she must know now," he said.

Puck took a deep breath. "You ready for this?"

Kurt nodded slowly. "I think I am."

Puck nodded. "Shoot, Tina," he joked, and Kurt gave a nervous chuckle, before he read the message:

"_Will you give me a call?"_

Kurt sighed. "You should call her," Puck advised, - "I know it's not my place, but I think you should."

He stroked his boyfriend's back comfortingly, before saying: "I will be even more proud of you if you do."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Flattering will get you nowhere."

"Still worth a try."

Kurt laughed, and got more comfortable in his boyfriend's arms, before picking up his phone. "Hold on," Puck said, - "I'll just find something for Sarah to do, outside this room."

He got beside his sister. "Wanna do something on your own now?" he asked, - "Must be boring to sit down here all day with me and Kurt."

Sarah nodded. "OK," she said, - "I can go upstairs and watch Cartoon Network."

Puck laughed. "You do that," he said, praying Burt wasn't watching 'Deadliest Catch' right now.

He got down on the bed beside his boyfriend again, and pulled him into a warm embrace from behind. "I got you," he said, giving a brief but loving kiss to his neck.

Kurt nodded. "You always do."

Then he called Tina, who picked up immediately.

"_Hey," _she said, her voice softer and far less cheerful than it usually was.

"Hey," Kurt said. There was an awkward silence before he decided to break it: "I suppose Quinn told you."

"_She did,"_ Tina confirmed, - _"My god, Kurt, I'm so sorry, I didn't know…"_

"Hey," Kurt said comfortingly, - "It wasn't yours to know. Don't dwell on this, okay?"

"_I can't not dwell on it, Kurt," _she said.

"Tina_," _Kurt said firmly, - "I'm okay. You're okay. This happened more than two years ago_."_

Tina gave a sigh. _"I'll try, okay?" _she said, - _"I'll try not to dwell on it."_

Kurt's voice grew softer. _"_Good_," _he said, - "That's all I'm asking."

There was a new silence, which Tina broke this time: _"Mike wants to talk to you."_

"Hand him over," Kurt said, - "And Tina?"

"_Yes?"_

Kurt thought for a while. _"_Thank you_."_

A new silence. "_You're welcome. Here's Mike."_

Kurt didn't even get to adjust to the fact that he now was talking to a different person, before Mike's voice rang through the phone:

"_Kurt, you have an amount of five minutes before I get to my car, dress up as the asshole's mother and decide to give him a visit to the prison he will never forget, to explain where exactly he is staying?"_

Kurt's eyes widened remarkably at Mike's unusually violent tone. He thought he had hit his peak of protectiveness when he stood up to Karofsky for him last year, but apparently, he could reach much higher.

"It's Mike, he's pissed," Kurt explained to his boyfriend, seeing his questioning expression.

Puck nodded understandingly. "I have no idea, Mike," Kurt said, - "Maybe you should ask my boyfriend here, he's the one who's been to Juvie and knows his way around jails."

Puck pinched the brunette's sides, making him squeak in surprise.

"_Puck there with you_?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"_Hand him over."_

Kurt looked a little startled, before he gave Puck the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

Puck was about to reach for the phone, when Mike's voice rang. "_Oh, and Kurt?"_

"Yeah," Kurt said again.

"_I'm really sorry_."

"It's okay, Mike, really," Kurt said, before handing Puck the phone.

Puck reached for it. "Go for Puck."

"_So how do we teach the bastard the lesson he deserves?"_

Puck sighed. "I've been going over several scenarios here. We have true Pulp Fiction, shot-right-in-the-balls style, which is a classic. But my favorite has to be Braveheart, execution scene."

"_I'm on it," _Mike said.

Puck let out a dry chuckle. His boyfriend was looking at him with a curious expression. He planted a quick kiss to his forehead, before whispering: "Kurt, this monster hurt you. You can't blame me for wanting it to suffer."

Kurt gave a small smile.

"Look Chang," Puck said, a little more seriously, - "You have no idea how much I wanna torture that… Whatever it was that dared to lay a finger on my boyfriend… But I think what Kurt really needs now is your support."

He looked into his boyfriend's eyes for confirmation. Kurt just gave him a loving smile. "He's the best fucking thing that ever happened to me, man," Puck said, not really thinking about how not badass this was, - "Anyone hurting him makes me… It kills me."

Kurt's eyes softened and Puck swore they were starting to water. He grabbed his hand instantly.

He could almost hear Mike nod. "_I know_," he said, - "_I know…"_

"Still," Puck said, - "I want Kurt to be happy. And I'm afraid he won't be if I go to jail, _not Juvie_," he shot his boyfriend a mock-glare, to interpret the difference between jail and Juvie, which made Kurt giggle a little, - "for murder."

"_I know, Puck_," Mike said. There was a pause before he asked: "_You're over at Kurt's rather often, aren't you_?"

Puck dragged his hand through his mohawk. "Well, my mom sort of kicked me out," he said, - "No big deal."

"_Man…," _Mike said, - "_You have a lot on your plate then."_

Puck shrugged. "It's cool… Bitch is totally crazy anyway, and Sarah's with us so…"

There was a long break as Kurt hugged his boyfriend closer. Puck wrapped his arm firmer around him, not noticing the slight tears of joy falling down the face of his boyfriend.

"_Cool_," Mike said, but Puck knew he didn't actually buy the light way he shrugged off his mother's abundance, - "_Talk to you guys later anyway. Say hi to Kurt for me, and again, tell him I'm sorry."_

"Mike's sorry," Puck said to Kurt, before hanging up, - "Later, dude."

They were contently resting on Kurt's bed for a few seconds, before Puck's eyes really flickered over to his boyfriend. "Hey," he said comfortingly, touching his cheek, sensing the moist on the countertenor's skin, - "Are you crying?"

Kurt just gave a sweet smile as he wiped is eyes gently. "Do you realize you just confessed your everlasting love for me to Mike Chang?"

Puck looked at him for a second, before he fell down on the pillows. "Man…," he said, - "You know what this means, baby?"

Kurt gave a soft chuckle. "What?"

"It means I'm whipped," Puck said, defeated. Kurt laughed. "No seriously," the larger teen stated, - "I'm tamed!"

His voice was mock dramatic and Kurt rolled over laughing at this. "The Puckasaurus has been tied down eventually! Kurt Hummel, you did it… Now, feel free to have your way with me."

His tone was so suggestive it somehow managed to turn Kurt on at the same time as he was still laughing.

"Seriously," he laughed, moving back into Puck's lap, - "It was nice. The way you talked of me… Did you really mean that?"

Puck looked at him. "That so hard to believe?" When Kurt didn't answer, he said: "Yes. Yes, I did."

The words were spoken with such sincerity it almost made Kurt want to cry again. Puck leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips.

"You mean the world to me too, Puck," Kurt said.

Again, his phone gave a buzz. "More people?" Puck asked.

"Probably."

This time it was Quinn:

"_I figured it would be better for everyone if I sent a 'formal message' over FB about what happened to you. You okay with that?"_

Kurt quickly texted back, in no doubt about his decision:

"_Do that. That way it won't seem so serious…"_

"It is pretty serious, you know," Puck said.

Kurt looked at him. "It's the most serious thing that has ever happened to me. I just don't want my friends to bear my burdens."

Puck let out a sigh and pulled his boyfriend closer. "You do what's best for _you_ in this case."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

By eight pm that night, the New Directions had all figured everything out, thanks to one Quinn Fabray. The reactions were plenty and varied, but Tina and Mike had been right in their expectations:

Rachel was in tears. She couldn't believe her friend hadn't told her anything, and even though she didn't want to admit it, she felt a little left out. She knew it was selfish, but it was the truth. In return she was ready to cope with all of this, despite what Kurt said about him not wanting her to bear his burdens or something. She also realized what big of a burden this was, hence, she wished he'd had told everyone sooner, so he wouldn't have to deal on his own. But he was not the one to blame. Not in a billion years was he to blame.

She was in a rage when it came to Noah's mother abandoning him (yes, Mike had fully informed them on that part). She wanted to hire a lawyer and sue. I mean, was that even legal? Putting your kid out on the streets before he's turned eighteen? It shouldn't be.

Santana was outraged about both, but Puck being the tough guy he claimed to be, should live up to those expectations. Yes, she was an insensitive bitch who knew where she had her former booty call. He was strong. Not only on the outside as he appeared to be, but on the inside as well. He dealt better on his own, and with help from Kurt he would be absolutely fine in a short while.

As for Kurt, on the other hand, that was a different story. She was far from stupid, and she had known all along that the kid was hiding a huge secret from everybody. That it was something like this, however, was beyond her. She had a detailed, X-rated plan on what she was going to do to the asshole who dared to hurt him. She could get Coach Sylvester with her. That way it would be handled smoothly and impeccably.

Brittany didn't understand much: She realized someone had hurt Kurt really badly, and she didn't like it. Not at all. She also knew that Puck's mother had kicked both him and his adorable younger sister out, because Puck was in love with Kurt, and she didn't like that either. Most of all now, she had to comfort Santana, who seemed to be infuriated by all of this. So she comforted her the way only Brittany Susan Pierce could; by holding her hand, resting her head on her shoulder and telling her it would be okay. It always would, right?

Artie was angry, but he was the only one who thought reasonably about all of this. He wanted the guy tortured as much as everyone else, but if they were going there, it would have to be done as innocently as possible. But after all, he didn't think that was the way to go. Kurt needed their support and their protection, but most of all, he needed them to still be his friends. The way they always had been and the way they always would be, and he was going to do just that. Be his friend in a real, honest way.

Mercedes was in a mixture of emotions. All the bad emotions you could think of had all developed and united inside of her, and she was going to explode soon: She felt sick, she was shocked, she was devastated, she was outraged, and she was disgusted… She wanted to throw up, cry or kick something. But the only thing she didn't feel was blame. She didn't blame Kurt for not telling her about this. Knowing her friend, he was very protective of those whom he considered his friends. Knowing her friend, she knew he probably already carried enough blame on his own now. A blame that Puck hopefully was helping him cope with if he was doing things right.

As for Puck, she had a hard time understanding how any parent could ever do anything like that to her child, but she was glad Burt and Carole were warmhearted enough to let him in under their wings.

The New Directions were heading for the Hummel-Hudson household. Neither Puck, Finn nor Kurt knew they were coming, and frankly, they didn't care. They had already ordered lots of pizza, brought soda and popcorn and were ready for a movie night at the Hummel-Hudson's. Of course, they knew that Carole and Burt were probably home, but they also knew that they were pretty welcoming, so if they said they were working on an assignment of some kind, they probably wouldn't stop them.

"His dad doesn't know," Quinn said as they approached their neighborhood, - "So be careful not to mention anything to him. That's his call."

She didn't get much of a response from her outraged friends, but she took their understanding looks as a confirmation that they would act discretely. Well, as discretely as possible when you're a hormonal teen who has just been delivered information no hormonal teen should ever have to be delivered.

They rang the doorbell, and were met by Carole Hudson. "Hello," she said, a somewhat confused look on her face, - "You here to see the boys?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hudson," Quinn said gently, - "May we come in."

"Yeah," Carole said, - "Of course. How nice of you, I didn't hear they had visitors."

"Yeah, we're coming unannounced," Artie said, as they all walked in, grateful looks on their otherwise miserable faces.

Carole was a bright woman. She knew something was up, but whatever it was, she was sure the teens knew how to deal with it.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck and Kurt were rudely interrupted in their make-out session by Mercedes who entered Kurt's room in a mixture of rage and a mood that said 'let's watch a movie'. Whatever that looked like…?

"'Sup white boys, where's Moulin Rouge? We're here to watch it with you!"

Puck and Kurt both jumped at the loud voice. "Hey 'Cedes," Kurt said, a little less cheerful than normal.

"Hey," Mercedes said, just a little calmer, - "You okay?"

The sincere look on her features said it all. Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She nodded. "Okay," she said, after a while, - "Make room!"

The boys moved over to the left side of the bed, while Mercedes got beside them. Right then Santana entered the room. "And we brought pizza," she said, having the entire Glee club following her.

She had a big smile on her face, even though the rest of the club knew what vicious thoughts were going through her head. "And we have popcorn!" Brittany shot in, as she got comfortable beside her girlfriend on the bed.

Artie came along with the soda, and soon enough they were all on Kurt's bed. It wasn't much space, but it was enough. Besides, sometimes you just need to be close to your friends. And this was a feeling the entirety of The New Directions needed right now.

The week went on pretty normal compared to the circumstances. Of course, there were some whispered conversations about creative ways of committing murder without getting caught, but Kurt went along with his friends the way he was used to, and as he was sitting there in Miss Pillsbury's office, planning his education, and as he went with Rachel to spy on their competition, he felt like finally his life could fully go back to normal.

As for his boyfriend, he was the best fucking thing that had ever happened to him too.

**A/N: OK, I'm sorry if the New Directions' reactions were a little off… Some were too over-dramatic, some were too vague, but I think their reactions could be just that, and then they would become more 'usual reactions' later on.**

**The next chapter will be the I Am Unicorn chapter. Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: OK, so I won't have Quinn going through the obsessed-about-getting-Beth-back phase here. She will instead try to avoid Shelby as much as possible, because she knows she can't handle a baby any more now than she could two years ago. Sounds reasonable? Let's go with that. Shelby will, however, come back, and here we will see how everything goes from there.**

**Also, did you see the scene between Puck and his father? Incredible. Can't wait for the episode. What did you all think of the Whitney episode? I loved it, but I think Blaine was completely out of line… That's just me, though. Probably an unpopular opinion.**

**OK, so here's the chapter! It's my longest so far.**

Kurt was running for senior class president and Puck was rooting for him. Not that he was biased. Okay, fine he was biased. But seriously; Kurt Hummel versus Brittany and Rick the Stick or whatever the hockey player with the mullet's name was? Puck actually thought he had a good shot at this. Besides, it would be good for him. After everything, the boy definitely would need a feeling of accomplishment. Puck totally had his back. Surprise, surprise.

Evidently, so did Brittany. Puck had to admit he was just a little skeptical to what she had in mind, but he was willing to listen when she approached him in the hallway. "Hey Puck," she said, and Puck knew that look. She was definitely on to something… The way Brittany could be on to something, that being said.

"'Sup Brit?" he asked, trying to seem interested. He had math now, and he was heading for the nurse's office.

"Okay… So, you know how Kurt's running for senior class president?"

Puck's reaction was rather obvious at the mention of his boyfriend's name. "Yeah, totally."

Brittany gave a cute little smile. "Yeah, so I thought I was going to try to help him out."

Puck gave a frown. "With what?"

He started walking through the hallway, Brittany following suit after, having to run beside him. He hated to seem disinterested, which he really wasn't, but this attitude was kind of, like, glued to him in some way.

"With his campaign," Brittany said eagerly, - "But I have no ideas how, so I thought you could help me out?"

Puck gave a dry chuckle. "Seriously Brit? When did I ever have commercial success at anything?"

"But you love him," Brittany said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She didn't need to say more either. Puck loved him. that was true. On the other hand, Kurt hardly would need his help.

"I already offered to help Kurt out," Brittany confessed, - "But you could be there with us when we're working on it. Kurt looks so much happier with you around." She thought for a moment. "I like when he's happy."

Puck gave a weak grin. He definitely did too. "I'm always with him, Britt. I moved in with him, remember?"

"Oh," Brittany said, looking sympathetic for a second, - "Right." Her smile reappeared. "You will be there, then?"

"Count on it," Puck grinned, as he stalked towards the nurse's office.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Mr. Schue never ran out of bright ideas, did he? Now he had gotten it into his head that a booty camp was the greatest idea in the history of the universe, because they were lacking again. Puck looked back on the last week Mr. Schue had been talking about his club lacking in one area or another, which was a week he had mildly spoken mixed emotions regarding.

But back in 'Sexy week' he at least wasn't the one lacking. Now, apparently, he was. What the hell? His moves were fine. It wasn't like he was Finn either! And what the hell was wrong with Kurt's moves? Sashay my ass… By the way, Mike Chang had better stop calling his boyfriend's moves distracting, because yes, he was aware just how distracting Kurt's moves were (not that he was complaining). Having other guys thinking so too, however, was a not so pleasant thought. It wasn't like he was sharing here…

When the hell did he become the jealous type?

But hell… Had Mike even seen 'Single Ladies'. Fuck… Jerk off material de lux. What? So, he jerked off to the thought of his boyfriend, what was the big deal? He was still Puckasaurus, he still had needs, and he knew, without them having discussed it, that Kurt was okay with it.

The school musical, West Side Story was coming up. Not that Puck was the West Side Story type. He had been forced into watching it by Kurt a couple of times, but then he had been more distracted by Kurt resting in his lap. Mr. Schue wouldn't be able to direct it, so apparently he has hired Miss Pillsbury and Coach Beiste to direct it for him. How the hell was that supposed to work? Luckily Artie will be directing with them or else it would be total chaos.

Puck approached Kurt in the hallway after Glee club. "What the fuck has gone into the dudes head?"

"I know," Kurt sighed, - "My dancing is fine, jazz hands and sashay or not."

"Your dancing is super sexy," Puck muttered, quietly, but apparently loudly enough for a couple of hockey players to stop and stare dumbfounded. He shot them a death glare and they turned away quickly. It was kind of unfair, really. Kurt got all that hype, but when it appears he isn't Mr. Super straight anymore, people just look vaguely and turn away with a terrified facial expression. Whatever? He's not exactly complaining.

"Also, the musical," Kurt said.

"Yeah," Puck seemed hesitant, - "Where you going with that anyway? Auditioning for anything?"

Kurt shrugged. "I suppose," he said, - "It would be good for my NYADA application."

Puck nodded. "I think you should go for Tony," he said.

Kurt gave him a look. "Are you serious?"

Puck looked confused. "Yeah, why not?"

Kurt had to laugh. "That's the male lead, Puck."

"Thank you, I'm very much aware."

Kurt chuckled. "Look at me, Puck," he said, - "I'm hardly likely to play a male lead in anything but the reproduction of 'I Love You, Philip Morris'."

"Can I be Philip Morris then?" Puck's voice was seductive again, only this time no one seemed to care.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "But you see my point?"

Puck let out a sigh. "I suppose," he said, - "But you don't really know until you've tried."

He gave him one of his more sincere looks and Kurt had to smile. He then gave a short nod. "OK," he said, - "I'll do it. I'll audition for Tony. Happy?"

Puck chuckled and put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Thrilled."

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

As they passed the teachers' lounge, Kurt took one look, and dragged Puck aside, not allowing him to see the scenario that was going on in there.

Taken, mildly spoken, a bit off guard, Puck yelled: "What the hell was that?"

He didn't really know what he was expecting, but seeing his boyfriend's facial expression, it couldn't be good. "Who the hell was in there?"

Kurt didn't really know what to say. He just took a deep breath, and went for it: "You may go and see for yourself. It may be a shocker."

Puck didn't look like he understood how anything worked at the moment, as he walked towards the lounge. Just to take a look.

"Holy shit," he muttered. Kurt walked over to him.

"Yeah," he said, - "What's she doing here?"

"As if I would know."

Shelby Corcoran, the non-biological mother of Puck's child, was standing in the teachers' lounge talking to Mr. Schuester.

Now it was Puck's turn to drag Kurt away from the lounge. "What the hell?" he said again, - "How can she even be here? I mean… Is that legal?" He thought for a moment. "What about Rachel?" Kurt gave him a weird look. "Yeah, this is totally not good for her, Shelby being her mother and…"

"Noah Puckerman," Kurt said firmly, getting his boyfriend's attention, - "We both know this isn't you worrying about what she being here might do for Rachel."

He looked into the taller boy's eyes for assurance. "This is about how it's affecting you. I know you never wanted to give Beth up. We all knew."

"It makes me feel like the same fucking deadbeat my father was," Puck admitted, an angry tone in his voice.

"Puck," Kurt said, - "You are nothing like your father." He hoped with all his heart Puck would believe him. "You didn't even want to leave her behind. You left her behind because it was best for her. Your father, on the other hand, he left because he wanted to. Second of all, you would never beat up a child."

Puck looked at him for a long while, before a small smile appeared on his features, and he sighed. "What did I ever do without you?"

Kurt chuckled. "I guess you were a free, independent soul managing on your own." He nudged his side. "Now you're whipped."

Puck had to laugh, before he nodded. "Yeah, pretty much," he assured.

They laughed for a while longer, just to have something laugh about, before Kurt got back to his serious note: "Are you gonna try to talk to her, or?"

Puck shrugged. "I don't know," he said, - "Should I?"

"I don't know," Kurt said, - "Maybe. If you want to."

Puck nodded. "All I want is to see my baby girl again. One more time."

Kurt almost felt a lump in his throat again, and he moved closer to his boyfriend. "Then try to contact her," he said.

Puck sighed and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend. "I love you, alright?"

Kurt chuckled. "I love you too."

They were standing still for a while, before Kurt led his boyfriend away. "Come on," he said gently, - "Let's go."

They walked towards the lunch area, when Puck said: "So… talked to Brit today. She wants to help out with your campaign."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, thinking for a while, - "She told me. What she say?"

Puck shrugged. "Just that, really." He gave a light chuckle. What more was to expect from Brittany. "What did she tell you?"

"Something about unicorns," he explained, causing Puck to give a light laugh, - "Then the same."

Puck nodded slowly. "She kind of wanted me to help you guys out too."

Kurt had to laugh. "So, you're the campaign type of guy now?"

"Anything for you, babe," Puck said with a wink, catching Kurt off guard a little.

**PKPKPK**

They found themselves in Kurt's room that afternoon, Puck, Kurt and Brittany. One could say many things about Brittany, but the girl wasn't short on ideas. How good they were, on the other hand, was a different story. She kept going on and on about unicorns and neither Puck nor Kurt realized what she meant. The rainbow flags and unicorn posters kind of spoke for themselves. Puck had to contain himself not to laugh really hard at some of the blonde's ideas.

Kurt, on the other hand, was not that amused. Puck looked from one campaign manager to another as they argued whether they should go for out and flamboyant or "understated yet elegant". At some point, when Puck had mentally taken distance from their heated conversation, and devoted himself entirely and completely to their giant bag of nacho chips, when Kurt turned to him: "What do you think, Puck?"

_Oh, what do I think? I think you should go shirtless, baby, that would be pretty awesome!_

He didn't say that, though. "I don't know," he just mumbled, and Kurt rolled his eyes, not able to hide the light smirk at his boyfriend's adorable obliviousness. He didn't really get how anyone could be both sexy and adorable at the same time, especially not someone like Puck, but somehow the mohawked boyfriend of his pulled it off.

Puck took one more look at the poster Kurt had suggested and then a look at the poster Brittany had suggested. Yeah… he definitely understood where Kurt was coming from, and let's face it; Kurt was the smart one here, he decided to have his boyfriend's back: "I think you should go for that one," he said with his mouth full of nachos, receiving a satisfied smile from Kurt.

"Yeah," Brittany said a little more bitter than she used to be, - "But that's just because you're totally unicorn for him."

Puck gave a light chuckle. "Right," he said, throwing yet another nacho into his mouth, not really getting what the hell Brittany was talking about.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The day after Puck decided to try to talk to Shelby. As they were standing outside the teachers' lounge, Kurt said: "She's in there."

Puck took a deep breath.

"Want me to go in with you?" Kurt asked, with an irresistible facial expression.

Puck had a hard time letting him down, but he said: "I think I need to do this by myself, if that's okay?"

Kurt gave him an understanding smile. "Sure," he said, - "I can just wait here, or in the cafeteria or something."

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I'll be right back."

**PKPKPKPK**

"Shelby?" he asks, not really bothering using her last name. He feels like this is a little too personal for that anyway.

The woman looks up, frowns a little, before standing up with a somewhat distant, but real, smile on her features. "Hey," she said.

Puck gave a weak grin. This was just slightly awkward. "Hey," he repeated.

Shelby let out a sigh and stood up, walking towards the teenager and shaking his hand. "How you been doing?" she asked.

Puck shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Shelby nodded. "Good. Good." There was a break, before she pulled some hair out of her face, and said: "Look, I wanted to talk to you actually, but I haven't really gotten the chance to plan it yet."

Her voice was hurried. "It's okay," Puck assured. There was a break, before he finally asked: "How's Beth?"

Shelby looked at him, and then she smiled. "She fine," she said, letting out a chuckle, - "She looks like you and Quinn, now that you mentioned her."

Puck wanted to laugh, but the lump that was slowly forming in his throat kept him from it. Fuck it, he was not going to cry. "Can I see her?" he prompted, not really meaning to let the question slip.

Shelby sighed. "I don't know yet, Noah," she said, - "Not yet." She sounded decided and Puck's face fell. He should have known really, but the hope had been there. Still, there was still hope, seeing as Shelby had said 'not yet'.

He attempted an understanding nod, which he was sure he didn't pull off half the way he had hoped to. "I see," he said.

Shelby gave a careful smile, as if asking him whether or not he was okay, but he didn't have time to appreciate her concerns at the moment. He just gave her a short nod, and walked out. "See you around, then."

**PKPK**

Kurt was standing a couple of meters down the hallway as Puck exited the teachers' lounge. Kurt all but ran towards him. "How did it go?" he asked.

Puck shrugged. "Not allowed to see her yet, but… Maybe someday."

Kurt nodded vaguely, knowing that was a weak explanation. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

"Not really," Puck said.

Kurt put on a smile. "OK," he said excitedly, - "Wanna help me a little more with my campaign?"

"You think I should tell Quinn?" Puck asked, completely out of the blue.

Kurt put on his serious tone again. "I don't know," he said, - "Do you think she wants to see her? Beth, I mean."

Puck shrugged. "Maybe. Not really my call."

Kurt nodded understandingly. "Are you at least gonna tell her Shelby's back in town?"

Puck looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, I think so," he nodded, - "It seems right or whatever… You know?"

"I think it is right," Kurt smiled.

There was a break, before Kurt asked: "Are you okay?"

Puck looked at him. "Yeah, I guess," he said, - "This is all just…" He ran his hand through the small amount of hair that he had, - "Just a little overwhelming."

Kurt smiled and gave another understanding nod. "I get it," he said, before looking around to see if anyone was there, and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist. Puck wasn't really used to unexpected hugs, but somehow, with Kurt, it was rather easy to handle. So he just grinned and wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend.

When they pulled away, he asked: "Wanna come with me and tell Quinn?"

Kurt looked a little surprised, but then his face fell a little. "Beth's your baby, Puck," he said, - "I don't want to be a burden for you. You and Quinn have every right to work on this alone. I'll understand."

"Ok, first of all," Puck said, a little lighter tone in his voice, - "Beth is not our baby. She's Shelby's baby. Second of all…" His face softened, - "You're not a burden. Like, at all. I always love having you around."

The words were said so sincerely, but still so very casually, Kurt had no choice but believe them. He gave a slow nod. "OK," he said, a sweet smile resting on his features, - "Let's go get her, then."

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

"Where are we going?"

Quinn was literally being dragged by her arm through the hallways, evidently heading for the teachers' lounge.

"Need to show you something," Puck said, as he without warning, stepped in front of the teachers' lounge. Kurt wondered briefly if that was maybe a little too soon, but he let it slide. This was Puck's way of doing things.

Quinn walked up to Puck with slow steps. She looked through the window of the teachers' lounge, and her world went blank. In front of her was the mother of her baby. She just shook her head in disbelief and walked away.

"I can't do this," she said hectically.

Puck was somewhat stunned. Not only by Quinn's statement, but by how she finally actually showed some emotion whatsoever about Beth. He wasn't going to lie, he had been a bit frustrated about how she had spent her entire junior year only obsessing about popularity and almost never mentioned anything about their baby… Or the baby they had together, who they gave up.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" Puck nearly yelled after her, "It's our baby we're talking about here! We might get to see her again."

Quinn turned around, and gave another disbelieving shook of her head. "Don't you get it?" she asked, and Puck could swear he saw her eyes watering, - "It's not _our_ baby. Not anymore."

She took a deep breath. "I can't be a part of this," she said, and gave him a short, almost formal nod, - "Sorry."

Puck rolled his eyes. He looked quite frustrated. That's when he noticed that Kurt hadn't said a word while they'd been having Quinn with them. He hadn't even made himself noticeable which was highly unusual for the male diva.

He calmed down for a second before asking him: "Do you think I'm trying to hard?" He was being casual as always, but Kurt knew he meant to be sincere, - "With Beth and all?"

Kurt shrugged vaguely. "Well, you wanted to keep her all along," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms over his chest, as he usually did when he was thinking hard about something, - "You never lied about that… So no, I don't think you're trying too hard."

There was a break before Kurt continued: "You're a great man… who deserves to see his daughter."

There were moments when Puck didn't really know if his boyfriend was even real. This was one of those moments. So he just wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer to him, kissing his forehead in the process.

**PKPKPK**

Puck and Mercedes were seated in the choir room, while all of the other Glee club members were warming up for booty camp. Kurt approached his boyfriend who was seated, looking like he was in deep thought.

"Aren't you warming up?" he asked. It was a rather stupid question, seeing as the answer was right in front of him, in the lazy form of his boyfriend, but be it.

"Nah," Puck said, giving away a small grin, - "You look hot."

Kurt knew it was a completely instinctive comment, and he finds it nothing short of adorable. "Thanks," he nearly whispered, a slight blush forming on his cheeks, - "You're not bad yourself."

"Damn straight," Puck confirms, and Kurt rolls his eyes.

Right then Mr. Schuester comes over, after having already given Mercedes a talk about how she has to stand up and practice, and Puck realizes he should start warming up before he got the same pep-talk. He so wasn't having that.

Puck lined up with the others, as Mike started showing off the first moves. They were rather easy to go with, and Puck found himself sharing a conversation with his boyfriend: "So have you thought more about West Side Story?"

Wow… How gay did that sound? On the other hand, he was dating Kurt Hummel, so everything spoke for itself.

"A little," Kurt admitted with a smile, sounding excited, - "Thinking about auditioning for Tony."

Puck gave him a sincere grin. "That would be great," he commented.

"You think?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, absolutely."

"So you don't think I am…," Kurt began, nearly whispering, - "Too much of a girl or anything?"

"Are you kidding me?" Puck stopped in his moves, - "You're more of a man than anyone I've ever met."

"Puck, Kurt! Focus!" Schuester's voice rang through them.

Puck didn't bother apologizing, but he went back to his moves. "You should try out, Kurt," he said, a little less hectically now, - "You'll kill it."

Kurt gave him a small but sincere smile and nodded. "OK, I will," he said. He seemed to think for a moment before he again turned to his boyfriend. "You should try out too."

Puck frowned. "For what? Tony is yours, no doubt."

Kurt was grateful his boyfriend didn't try to steal his part by any means*.

"For Bernardo," Kurt suggested.

"Who the fuck is Bernardo?" Puck frowned and Kurt wondered how the hell he didn't remember that even after having watched the movie more than once.

He let out a somewhat annoyed sigh. "The leader of the Sharks," he still explained, - "The Puerto Rican gang." He thought about it for a while, before stating: "He's sort of a badass. You'd do the part justice."

Puck seemed to consider it. "I might," he assured, and Kurt was happy. If there was one mission he was on this year, besides sleeping with Puck (oh yes, it would happen during this year, he was sure), changing his mother's mind and keeping his boyfriend throughout the year (or forever in that case), it was getting Puck to actually graduate. He knew Puck was surrounded by people doubting him every day, and he thought it was unfair. He believed in him, and he hoped that at the end of the day that was all that mattered to Puck.

"So what song are you gonna sing?" Puck asked Kurt, his raspy and oh-so-sexy voice ramming through his thoughts.

"'I'm the greatest star'," Kurt explained.

Puck gives a look that undoubtedly means he has no clue what song that is. "It's from Funny Girl," Kurt said, and Puck just gave a nod that said that sounded oddly familiar.

Kurt chuckled a little. He knows just how Kurt Hummel that song was, but that's a good thing, right?

"It's probably a great choice," Puck said, as if having read his mind.

Kurt smiled a bit wider. "And what song are you singing?" he asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged, - "Thinking about 'La Camisa Negra' by Juanes."**

Kurt knew he had heard the song before, as he had with so many a song of any category, and it was a terrific song. The song would go over very well with Puck's voice, he was sure.

"Great," he approved, - "It's a great choice."

Puck looked somewhat surprised, but he still smiled. Kurt didn't know if he could ever get used to that smile. He let go a little and lost himself to the dancing.

"Kurt, jazz hands!" Mr. Schue yelled, and Puck only rolled his eyes, while Kurt threw down his arms in defeat.

"Fine!" he shot back. He was so fucking adorable when he was mad. Puck would never say that to his face, Kurt would kill him, and despite what everyone thought, the boy had a mean punch.

Instead he just leaned closer and whispered. "I think your jazz hands are awesome," he grinned.

How the hell did Puck manage saying that and having it being sexy?

**PKPKPKPKPK**

"Honestly though," he said after booty camp that day, - "I think your moves are great. Jazz hands or no. everyone has their thing, right?"

Kurt smiled, truly appreciating his boyfriend's compliments. "Thanks," he smiled, thinking for a moment, - "Have you given more thought to the Beth and Shelby thing?"

Puck looked hesitant. "Thought I'd drop by tonight," he said, looking at his boyfriend as if asking for some kind of approval.

Kurt frowned. "Tonight?" he asked, - "But didn't Shelby…?"

"Look," Puck interrupted, stopping right before they headed the exit, - "I don't know how long she's staying or if she really meant that I could see her sometime, okay?"

He gave a dry chuckle, before starting walking again. "I'm, like… me, Kurt… I stole an ATM and went to Juvie, I got a girl drunk on wine coolers so I could steal her virginity, and then she got pregnant."

"Hold on a second!" Kurt said, partially shocked and partially angrily as they headed outside to the parking lot. The sun was about to go down. He reached for his boyfriend's arm and practically ran along with him as they approached his truck.

"What do you mean, you stole her virginity?"

Puck looked at him, and stopped, leaning against his truck. "Didn't either of us tell you?" he asked, almost bitterly. Even though Kurt knew he was only beating himself up over this, his bitterness almost hurt.

Puck gave another dry chuckle. "Oh great," he said sarcastically, knowing that now he would definitely have to face with some kind of judgment or whatever, - "I guess I owe it to you… The day I knocked her up, we were laying on her bed, I offered her a couple of wine coolers, she took them and I started pushing. She told me she made some kind of vow and couldn't sleep with me, so I offered her another wine cooler, and she eventually slept with me. Plus, I lied about the protection."

"So?" Kurt asked, almost yelling, - "Yeah, it's a douchy thing to do, but hell…"

"Don't you get it, Kurt?" Puck asked, rather calmly now. The next words were muttered: "Thank God Quinn is a cool chick, because any girl would file for…"

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Kurt squealed, - "Puck, it wasn't like you raped her or anything!"

"Then what the fuck was it?" Puck was yelling back now.

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "Did she say no?" he asked.

Puck shook his head. "Not after the third wine cooler."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Do you seriously think anyone, even Quinn, gets wasted on three wine coolers?"

Puck had to think of it for a while. "No…, but…"

"Hold on," Kurt said, holding up a hand, - "Did she say she wasn't ready?"

Puck shook his head again. "No… No, she didn't say that, she only said something about her fucking stupid celibacy vow."

Kurt shook his head, a slight smirk on his features. "Finally," he said, - "Would you go further if she had said no. Would you have forced her?"

"What? Of course not," Puck said, as sincerely as Kurt had ever seen him.

Kurt nodded satisfied. "There you go," he said, turning serious again, stepping closer to his boyfriend. "Puck, I know you. I know you better than you know yourself sometimes."

Puck chuckled. It was funny because it was true. "And you are a far too good person to ever hurt anyone the way…" he paused before continuing, - "The way that bastard hurt me."

Puck's jaw fell a little, and he reached out to wrap his boyfriend in his arms. Kurt leaned into the embrace, resting his head against Puck's shoulder, feeling more cherished and loved that he had ever imagined feeling.

"Besides," he said, chuckling a little, - "When Quinn found out what happened to me, she would have used you as an example, not the girls from her young moms meetings."

Puck chuckled a bit at this. "Fuck, I love you so much," he said, as he let go of his boyfriend.

Kurt smiled as they both got into the truck. "I love you too, by the way," he said as Puck started the truck.

Puck grinned a bit. "So we're going to Shelby's then?" he asked.

Kurt frowned. "We?" he asked.

"Yeah," Puck shrugged, - "I thought you could come with me. I mean… I know you're not one to show up at people's places without permission, but she probably won't be freaked out if I bring you with me."

Kurt gave him a look. "Hey," he said, - "I broke into the Gershwin theater in New York with Rachel."

Puck frowned. "You did? Man, you've been with me for way too long."

"Not at all long enough," Kurt said, not really meaning it to be heard by anyone but him. Of course that was mission impossible, seeing as he was in a car with another person and he hadn't just thought the words, but said them.

"What do you mean?" Puck asked, an amused look on his face.

Kurt squirmed a little uncomfortable in his seat. "Look, I know you're not one for long-lasting relationships, but I can definitely see us somewhere in the future. I mean… Past high school and everything."

Puck looked like he thought for a minute. "Yeah," he nodded, - "Yeah, I can see that too… I guess it's because the thought doesn't freak me out with you like it used to with Quinn, and because I'm fucking in love you."

Kurt let out a relieved chuckle, and they headed for Shelby's place in silence. Kurt had no idea how Puck knew where she lived, but such things weren't really difficult to find out.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

They rang the doorbell at Shelby's house, and a few seconds later, the woman was standing in the doorway. A frown appeared on her forehead, but she let the door open, wordlessly helping them in.

"Hey," Puck said nervously, - "Hope it's okay we dropped by…"

"How do you know where I live?" Shelby asked.

Puck seemed hesitant. "Um… I have friends… In law enforcement."

Kurt rolled his eyes, and turned back to Shelby. "Kurt Hummel," he said as he reached out his hand towards her.

She shook it, and apparently he gave a good first impression. "Nice to meet you," she said, - "A friend of Noah's from Glee club, are you?"

"He's my boyfriend actually," Puck said, before Kurt could bring himself to confirm her words.

Kurt was surprised and rather grateful for how easy it apparently had been for Puck to say that out loud immediately. Especially since he was about to see his daughter for the first time since she was born.

Shelby took a couple of seconds to process before a smirk landed on her face. She wasn't really surprised. Noah seemed to be the kind of person to go after anything on legs.

What surprised her was how genuinely Puck seemed to care about his evident boyfriend. still, she told him firmly: "Noah, I told you. I want you to be a part of Beth's life, but on my terms. You can't just barge in on me like this."

Kurt expected a surprised or somewhat hurt expression from his boyfriend, but Puck just dragged a piece of paper out from his pocket. "See?" he asked, - "My drug test. Totally clean."

Kurt had no idea why Puck was bringing that along with him, or how he got it, but he figured it was old.

"Also, I haven't had a drink since we talked," he promised, but Kurt gave him a look. He stole a beer from Finn that day before booty camp, - "Besides beer," he added.

"I also did some homework," Puck said, and Kurt wanted to leave, because this was going to be embarrassing. He was right: "Napoleon. Turns out; not just a desert. He was a real dude."

Shelby apparently tried her best to hold back a chuckle, but she nodded as if she was impressed, although she said: "Having a relationship with a child isn't just about little bursts of energy."

Kurt, knowing just how much Puck wanted to see his little girl, thought this was quite an unfair thing to say, but on the other hand, Shelby had no way of knowing just how much Puck cared about Beth. He really hoped he found the words to tell her.

Right then there was baby cries, and Puck froze a bit. Kurt gave him a concerned look, as if asking whether or not he was okay, but he just gave him a confirming nod, and followed Shelby in the cries' direction.

They came from Beth's bed, and Shelby lifted her up. And right as Beth looked over her shoulder, she looked straight at Puck. Kurt looked over to his boyfriend, who just stood there, looking at his daughter as if she was the answer to everything that was bad in this world. Instinctively he reached for Kurt's hand, and squeezed it so hard it almost hurt.

A look of adoration formed on the bad boy's face and a small smiled appeared on his lips, as he took a hesitant step forward. Shelby turned towards them with a welcoming smile, and he moved forward, urging Kurt along with him.

"She looks like Quinn," Puck prompted, even though Kurt knew he could see some resemblance to himself in her as well.

"And you," he said, and Shelby nodded as if she agreed.

"Yeah," she said, - "She has the same dopey smile."

Kurt gave a chuckle, and he noticed there was also something in the little girl's eyes that identified with Puck's apparently biological badass persona. Man, was Shelby in for a hard time when the girl grew up.

Shelby let out a laugh. "Say hi," she said sweetly to her baby.

Puck let out a small laugh as Beth gave him another look. It was in some ways a 'judging you' look, as if she knew everything about him. Every mistake and flaw that he'd had even long before she was born. And he absolutely adored it.

"I'm happy you know," Puck said, - "That she's with you and… It made it easier."

Kurt squeezed his hand a little harder. He knew better.

"Oh," Puck said, his voice a little lighter, evidently for Beth's sake. It suddenly dawned on Kurt how much his boyfriend actually did for other people than himself. Whoever said Puck was a selfish bastard who only cared for himself should really stop talking, - "I drew her a picture."

He took another piece of paper from his pocket, and Kurt wondered if he was pretending to be a magician or something, who just made things appear from his clothes.

"It was supposed to be a clown, but it kind of turned up like a pig, so…," Puck said, and Kurt had to laugh at the drawing. He must have drawn it down during 'geometry or English or something'. "Call it a clown-pig."

Shelby laughed too, while Beth only wore the biggest 'what the fuck'-look Kurt had ever seen. She had so gotten that from Quinn.

"What can I say? I kind of made up the animal."

Kurt laughed. It was great to see his boyfriend joking around and being ridiculous again. He hadn't really been doing that a lot since his mother kicked him out.

Puck let go of Kurt's hand before he hung the drawing up on the refrigerator. "You don't think it will scare her, do you?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Shelby gave Kurt a small smile, as if telling him he was lucky or something, and then she laughed. "No," she said. Beth still had her 'bitch, please'-face on.

"She will be okay," she said, looking over to her daughter, - "She's tough."

Kurt gave Puck a knowing look, and mouthed 'like you', with a smirk on his face. Puck's face fell a little, and a silence settled between the three.

It was broken by Shelby. "You wanna hold her?" she asked, her voice softer and more sympathetic now.

Puck smiled a little and almost instinctively, manically walked over to where they stood. He licked his lips nervously, before reaching out a hand, to grab a hold on his daughter. Kurt knew it wasn't a good moment, but he found himself admiring the big hands and strong, protective arms of his boyfriend. He was utterly touched at how gentle he was with the little girl as well. Kurt knew very well that despite Puck's belief, he was nothing like his father. He was in no way like his father. His intentions had always been for his daughter's best.

As Puck was about to grab a hold on Beth, he pulled his hands back slightly. "I don't wanna freak her out," he said, and Kurt rolled his eyes. As if that was going to happen.

Shelby gave him a look. "We'll work up to it," she said, and Kurt found himself a little pissed that she didn't hand her daughter over to him immediately, but who was he to judge?

Puck looked at the two girls in front of him, before shaking his head, as if he couldn't believe everything that was happening. "I'll do anything," he whispered, and Kurt knew it was an instinctive statement, - "Anything to prove to you that I can be in her life."

Kurt's hand went to his mouth. He bit at his nail for a moment, struggling not to cry. This was way too touching to actually be handled.

"Please, just give me that chance."

Kurt looked to Shelby, as if to non-verbally advise her to listen to the boy in front of her.

Shelby looked at him for a second, before a small smile formed on her face. Puck hoped with all his heart that it was a nod he was seeing.

Shelby took a deep breath, before putting Beth down on her bed. "Look," she said, - "It's been a long day, and I just really need to get some rest."

"Sure," Puck said, looking over to his daughter, as she was about to fall asleep, - "We'll be going now."

Shelby nodded gratefully, as she followed the two to the door. "It was nice having you here," she smiled.

Puck, still seeming startled, took a final glance towards his daughter, before he said a proper goodbye to Shelby and walked after his boyfriend outside.

As they approached Puck's truck, Kurt touched his shoulder comfortingly. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Puck looked like he thought about it for a moment, before turning to him. "Yeah," he said, - "I think so."

Kurt nodded. "If it makes any difference," he said, - "I really wish you would have gotten to keep her."

Puck let out a sigh, and pulled his boyfriend in for a kiss, caressing his thick hair in the process.

Pleased with his response, Kurt responded willingly to the kiss.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck was in the choir room, watching Kurt practicing for his Tony audition. First, he had to say he looked absolutely flawless. He had a pleased smile on his face, a shirt that revealed his muscular arms, and pants that, as always, didn't leave to the imagination how amazing his ass was.

Kurt was auditioning in half an hour, and from what Puck gathered, his performance would be perfect.

"You think it's okay?" Kurt asked.

Puck's jaw had fallen, but he just nodded and said: "Yeah, definitely."

"So it's not too girly?"

Puck shrugged. "It's not girly. It's you."

"But it's not supposed to be me," Kurt said, a little more bitter, - "It's supposed to be Tony."

Puck let out a sigh. "It's perfect," he promised, motioning for Kurt to come over to where he was seated. Kurt stood above him, holding his hands.

"_You're _perfect," Puck promised, earning a sweet smirk from Kurt, - "You're gonna kill it. And Tony was a pretty feminine guy anyway. He broke out from the gang, remember? Went through a change of some kind… So it might fit, you know."

Kurt gave a genuine smile. "You think so."

Puck stood up and planted a soft kiss on his lips, looking into his eyes. "I _know_ so."

Kurt let out a sigh and drew himself into his boyfriend's arms. Puck wrapped his arms protectively around him.

Kurt took a shaky breath. "I'm nervous," he laughed. He was rarely ever nervous.

Puck rubbed his back. "Aww," he teased, - "It's okay, you'll kill it."

Kurt let out a small chuckle. "I hope so," he said.

**PKPKPKPK**

It went well. At least so he thought. In the middle of the performance, Kurt spotted Puck in the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a somewhat proud grin resting on his features.

God, how he loved him…

Puck was shocked at his boyfriend's sai sword skills. Why the hell didn't he know about those?

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The day after, Puck decided to tell Quinn about his encounter with their daughter, just to see if she changed her mind. Not that he really thought she would; she had made her choice and it was a pretty determined one, from what he gathered.

He saw her in the hallway, heading for the girls' bathroom, and so he followed suit after.

"Q, wait up!" he yelled after her, and Quinn turned around as they were both in the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes. "You can't be in here, it's the girl's bathroom."

He just blew that comment off. "Kurt and I went to see Beth," he explained, and she gave him an uncomfortable look.

"How is she?" she asked, trying to keep a formal tone.

"She's perfect," Puck said, with a somewhat dreamy look on his face, - "She looks like you."

Quinn took a deep breath. "Wasn't I pretty clear back in sophomore year?" she asked, - "We're not parent material. At least not yet."

Puck looked like he thought for a moment. "I know," he said, - "But maybe we could be."

She gave him a look. "As far as I'm concerned, you are very busy with Kurt at the moment, and I have no interest, so you and I are never gonna be together."

Puck rolled his eyes. "I meant separately," he said, - "You and I, separately. You should see her too, even though we're not a couple. She's your kid as much as she's mine. Maybe even more so."

Quinn sighed and shook her head. "I can't," she said, - "I gave her up, and I stand behind that decision. I am happy for you, and I'm sure you are great with her, but please, keep me out of this."

She checked her face in the mirror, before walking out.

Puck let out a frustrated sigh, as he walked out too.

…

And then he was met by Kurt who all but ran past him, not even noticing him. He ran after him, and grabbed a hold on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey," he said, a mixture of concern and confusion resting in his voice, - "What's the matter?"

Kurt turned around to look at him; his eyes were red-rimmed.

Puck realized something was very wrong, but Kurt was in no way going to tell him here, so he just wrapped his arm around him, and stroked his arm comfortingly. "Come on," he said, - "Let's get outta here."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

They were seated in the backseat of Puck's truck, Puck's arms firmly wrapped around the countertenor. "Wanna tell me what's up?" Puck asked gently, kissing the top of his boyfriend's head.

Kurt nodded and sat back, wiping furiously at his eyes. "I sort of went to eavesdrop on the judges," he said, and Puck let out a small chuckle.

Kurt was glad. Anyone but Puck would have judged him. Even Santana would throw off some comment about how he had it coming when he decided to eavesdrop in the first place.

"What did they say?" Puck asked, his concern back.

Kurt took a shaky breath. "Emma liked me," he said with a soft smile, - "She apparently wanted me for Tony, but Coach Beiste said I was too much of a lady…"

Puck let out a sigh. "Can I tell you something?" he asked, wrapping his arms around him again, stroking his cheek.

Kurt nodded.

"I still think you were perfect."

Kurt let out a soft chuckle. "Thank you," he smiled.

"What did Artie say?" Puck asked, counting on the teammate to be on Kurt's side.

Kurt shrugged. "Same thing," he said, responding to Puck's questioning look, - "As Coach Beiste."

Puck scoffed. "Some team-player, huh?"

Kurt shook it off. "Don't be mad at Artie for this, I just… I really wanted this part… It's important for me to… To get out of here."

Puck let out another defeated sigh and pulled Kurt in for a hug. "You're gonna get out of here," he said.

"I can't stay here," Kurt said, a soft sob escaping him.

Puck shook his head. "You won't either," he promised, planting a kiss to Kurt's forehead.

Kurt cuddled up against him, his erratic breath turning calmer. "Is there more?" Puck prompted.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "Santana and Brittany sort of hung up the posters I didn't want them to hang up."

Puck stiffened a bit. "The rainbow and unicorn ones?"

Kurt gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, those," he said, - "I have no chance at the senior class president thing either."

"Never say never," Puck grinned, and then his face fell, - "Shit, I just figured that's a song by Justin Bieber. Forget I said that."

Kurt let out a laugh, and sat back again. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes, holding his tears at bay this time, - "I'm all about myself today. How did it go with Quinn?"

Puck shook his head. "Nah, she doesn't wanna see her. It's okay, though. I don't blame her.""

Kurt smiled a little sadly. "She's missing out," he said.

Puck nodded, but then he shrugged. "She'll have a little one on her own someday," he grinned, - "I'm sure of it."

Kurt had to laugh. Quinn really was the mama type, come to think of it. "She will," he said.

"Maybe so will you and I?" Kurt asked, meaning it to be a joke, but not hiding the fact that there was something behind that thought.

Puck looked at him, sincerely. "Maybe," he nodded, and then he tucked him closer.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt tried out once more along with Rachel that week, this time acting, not succeeding whatsoever. That night he cried, mostly of embarrassment, in Puck's arms, while eating two slices of cheesecake. Puck had convinced him that he probably didn't make that much of a fool of himself and that the tights probably made his legs look even more delicious than they usually did and Kurt's mood had lightened.

Shelby tried to convince Quinn, just once more, to become a part of Beth's life, but she wasn't having it. She made it very clear to the woman that this was not something she was willing to do; she gave up Beth once, and that was a choice she still stood by, and she would appreciate it, if she wouldn't try to torture her further with her baby. And Shelby had accepted that.

Kurt had a talk with his father about the whole ordeal of this week, and was met with an answer that he really shouldn't give a shit. He had to be himself first, the roles came in second, and Kurt was happy for the advice.

By Friday, they were all together for another round of booty camp. This time Finn was the main issue: He had to learn how to dance properly. Mercedes, Puck and Kurt were standing on the sideline (if it was even called that on a stage), watching with both hopeful, but mostly stated facial expressions.

This was getting ridiculous. Mike and Schuester tried with all their might to teach Finn, and nothing was helping. But then eventually, things seemed to go over rather well. Rather well, meaning Finn didn't stumble noticeably, fall, or break someone's nose.

As Puck and Kurt were watching him actually managing one entire verse of a song, without messing up completely, Puck grabbed a hold on Kurt's hand, lifting it in the air as Finn actually managed the dance as impeccably as Finn could.

They yelled out with joy when he made it. Two years of practice had actually paid off.

"So what are you doing now?" Puck asked Kurt after they were done, - "About the musical."

Kurt shrugged. "Do you think Officer Krupke would do?"

"Your hot little ass in a policeman outfit?" Puck asked, licking his lips.

Kurt gave a shy smirk.

"Don't let me stop you."

**OK, so that's it, guys! Next chapter will be the Asian F chapter, so I hope you will stay tuned. Also, I just found out I got an A+ on my English assignment. Ain't I clever? Anyways; reviews are highly appreciated, as always.**

***See what I did there? ;) Sorry, Blaine-bashing. He's been acting like an idiot lately.**

****I thought this was a good choice, seeing as this was the song Puck was introduced with when he decided to join Acafellas in said episode. It's kind of his jam to me.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay, so here comes the Asian F chapter. I know there was a lot of "controversy" whether or not Mercedes' behavior was understandable or not in this episode, and in my opinion it absolutely was. She's had to fight for solos ever since the first season, and all Schuester has ever done is give the solos to Rachel, even though we can agree to disagree on the fact that they are equally great singers. So my point of view here will be a little different from what was showed in the episode, where Mercedes was portrayed as the selfish bitch who only thought about herself, while Rachel was the innocent victim.**

**Like I said, here we also get to see how Puck and Kurt deal with their auditions, and what happens once they get the results for those.**

**About the Choke episode: It was good. Loved the amount of Puck in it, though I would personally not mind seeing some Kurt in their bro moments. Also, Puck isn't usually what I refer to as 'my baby' but as I saw that F on his paper or how he talked about his dad, he actually was. I really want him to graduate… Yeah, I'm surrounded by Puck feelings now…**

Okay, so maybe booty camp wasn't so bad, come to think of it. After all, it allowed Puck to stare blatantly at his boyfriend, as he danced around, for once, sweaty, in what was for him, very little clothing.

So no wonder he on Monday afternoon actually had a giant smile on his face during booty camp. Chang was also a pretty cool dance coach, once he let his condescending behavior down. Puck was happy, Kurt seemed rather happy, though very concentrated, while Schuester was definitely not happy.

Mostly, Puck thought, because Mercedes had showed up half an hour late to booty camp, and probably also because of some relationship issues Puck really didn't want to get into.

"I don't get it, though," Puck said to Kurt after booty camp.

"Get what?" Kurt carried a sweet smile on his face and he was a little out of breath.

Trying to resist the irresistibleness of his boyfriend, Puck replied: "Who else are they gonna find for Tony?"

Kurt shrugged. "Someone manlier than me. Some guy from the Cheerios auditioned yesterday."

"And the manlier one was from the Cheerios?" Puck answered, holding back a laugh.

"Seems so," Kurt said, his smile a little sadder. Puck wrapped his arm around his shoulders and gave them a light squeeze.

"They're stupid."

"Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Beiste and Artie?" Kurt asked, a little confused.

Puck seemed hesitant. "Well… When it comes to casting," he said, causing a chuckle out of Kurt.

"When are you auditioning for Bernardo?" he asked his boyfriend.

"This week," Puck said, with a light shrug.

"You not nervous?" Kurt asked.

Puck shook his head vaguely. "Not really," he said, before giving his boyfriend a concerned look. "Your audition for the officer thing…?"

"Officer Krupke," Kurt smiled.

"Whatever? … This week as well?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "But come to think of it, if I was too feminine for Tony, I don't see how I can possibly pass for Officer Krupke."

Puck gave him a sad, though comforting smile. "You'll nail it." He knew he'd been wrong last time, but hell, the boy was fucking talented. Did that take so much recognition?

Kurt seemed a little too concentrated today, by the way. It seemed like he had a lot on his mind, so Puck threw his arm back around his shoulders.

"What's up your sweet little ass today?" he asked, and Kurt swore that only Puck could say that and having it _almost _be adorable.

Kurt let out another small chuckle, and then he shrugged. "Nothing… I guess I just have a lot on my plate. The audition, senior class president…" He sighed. "Just having a bad day."

Puck nodded vaguely. "Wanna talk about it?"

Kurt started packing his stuff. "I hate saying no, but…," he said, and Puck shrugged it off.

"It's alright," he said, before cocking his head in the exit's direction, - "Now, let's get outta here."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

As they approached the parking lot, they were met by Mike. "Hey guys," he said. They noticed he was just standing casually outside the school, not really appearing to have any destination in his mind.

"'Sup Chang?" Puck asked, not really going anywhere with the question, as he stalked towards Kurt's Navigator.

Mike just shrugged, but just as Kurt stopped a bit in his tracks with a somewhat sympathetic facial expression, he allowed himself to ask: "Could I… um…"

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

Mike shrugged again. "Just wondered if I could get a ride home? My dad's kind of pissed at the moment."

Without further questioning for either of the two, Kurt said 'sure' and allowed him a seat in the back.

"Am I too harsh with you during practice?" Mike asked, with a small smirk on his face.

Puck scoffed. "Yeah, right. Don't flatter yourself."

Mike gave a laugh and they drove for a few minutes in a silence that Puck broke: "What's up with your dad anyway?" Daddy issues were pretty much his territory. He somewhat lived there.

Mike sighed. "We're fighting a lot. College stuff. He thinks I'm on drugs."

Puck frowned. "Then he should meet me," he laughed.

Kurt rolled his eyes, and looked at Mike through the mirror. "Why would he think that?" he asked.

"I got an A- on my chemistry test."

"Dude, you got an Asian F?" came Puck's blunt remark.

Mike rolled his eyes as well as he wondered how the hell Puck knew that was called an Asian F. Puck quickly came down from his cloud though, and asked: "But seriously… He thinks you're on drugs just because of that?"

Mike hesitated. "He might be exaggerating, even for him," he said, - "He also blames Tina."

That was even more confusing. Tina's grades were perfect, as far as they were concerned. "Did she have an aneurism?" Puck asked.

Mike looked confused. "Not that I know…," he said, even more hesitant than before.

Puck let out a sigh. "Well, in that case, he has nothing to worry about."

Mike shook his head. "I just don't know what to do, you know."

Kurt nodded sympathetically.

"I mean… What would you do?" Mike asked.

"Assuming the dilemma is dancing or Harvard University…?" Kurt asked.

Mike nodded.

"Follow your dreams," Kurt said with a smile, - "Do what you want to do. In the end he has nothing to say."

"Totally," Puck agreed, - "You killed it back there!" He cocked his head backwards, as if pointing to the school.

"I wish it was that simple," Mike said.

They approached his house, and Kurt smiled encouragingly. "It will be," he stated.

As they drove for a while more, Puck looked to Kurt, and said: "You know… I'm kind of nice when I'm with you."

**PKPKPKPK**

Puck had football practice later that day, and he was more than a little surprised when Coach Beiste decided that he, Shane and Azimio, the asshole that he was and would always be no matter what, were picked out to dance in West Side Story. Puck was somewhat cool with that; he figured even being a part of the play would lead to him having to dance anyway. He was badass enough to dance in West Side Story. It'd be cool… What the fuck did he just think?

Azimio, on the other hand, not so cool with it. "Excuse me," he said, - "But my daddy didn't raise me to be no damn ballerina. As a matter of fact, my dad didn't even raise me."

Puck thought that statement was incredibly insane. First, Azimio said last year that winning the football game would be important to his dad, so evidently, his father couldn't have been _that _distant. Second, even joking or trying to make something like that sound cool: So out of line. He'd never do that, and his father actually turned his back on him. Hands down.

Shane actually seemed like a pretty cool guy. He didn't complain at least. The only question he had was: "How do we learn the dance moves by tomorrow?"

Puck got his point, but honestly, being in Glee Club he'd had to practice quite hard to get some dance moves spot on within a fairly short amount of time. It wouldn't really be a problem for him. On the other hand; he could use some help, because he would rather spend the shortest amount of time he could with Azimio. The dude had been pissing him off for far too long now.

So he took a long glance at Mike, who looked a little startled, but finally confirmed, under a strong pressure, mind you, that fine, he would coach them.

**PKPKPK**

"Guess what?" Puck asked Kurt, as he fell back down on his bed that night.

Kurt had just put his homework away, and was now in the middle of his moisturize routine. The boy usually went to bed earlier than Puck. Something about getting enough sleep or something. As much as Puck wanted to stay up longer, though, there was something so incredibly… what was it? Sweet or romantic or something about seeing his boyfriend fall asleep, he just wanted to hold him forever and never let him go.

So he usually got into bed before Kurt could even fall asleep.

"What?" Kurt asked, as he applied moisturizer underneath his right eye.

Puck let out a sigh as he pulled off his shirt. "I'm forced to dance in West Side Story."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh, poor you," he said sarcastically, as he turned back, fully committed to his work.

"With Shane and Azimio," Puck explained, causing Kurt to turn around immediately.

Another roll of eyes came from the male diva, before he said, interpreting every word: "Don't. Do. Anything. Stupid."

Puck scoffed. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't say that. I wanna punch his face in."

Kurt got back down and started neatly washing his face. When he was finished, he walked over to his closet, and picked out his pajamas. He walked into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth.

Puck, who had already gotten comfortable on the bed, realized he'd forgotten that.

"It's sweet," Kurt said, as he got out of the bathroom, - "But I can't have you in Juvie."

Puck gave him a softer look. "I need you," Kurt said, wrapping his arms around himself slightly.

Puck let out a sigh, and patted the spot on the bed beside him. "Come here," he said.

Kurt let out a laugh. "Oh, I'm not cuddling with you before you've brushed your teeth."

"Damn," Puck growled as he got out of bed, a cocky smile resting on his features. He stalked over to his boyfriend, grabbed his face and gave him a passionate kiss, slipping his tongue into the smaller boy's mouth, tasting the sweet mint that had remained there from the tooth paste.

A soft blush formed on Kurt's face as Puck pulled away, and the larger boy was enchanted by the appealing combination of wet, swollen lips and that blush.

"You're irresistible," he muttered as he got past him and into the bathroom.

**PKPK**

The day after they learned that not only did Mr. Chang want his son to go to Doctor College instead of dance schools or something, but he also wanted the guy to quit Glee Club? Was the man serious? They needed Mike, now more than ever, while Mercedes had started her little "I-won't-dance-but-gimme-a-chance-to-shine-or-I-will-cut-you" campaign.

Not that Puck necessarily blamed her. He couldn't say he understood her though, because that would be a lie, seeing as he wasn't exactly the biggest fighter for solos. He usually took what he got, whether it be parts in duets, solos or parts in group numbers. He knew he was a great singer, so why should he stand and scream for people to see it?

But he couldn't deny that The New Directions needed Mike and his incredible dance skills. So when Mike confessed to the Glee Club what his dad had demanded of him, he was a little pissed off.

"Do you have to quit right away?" Tina, who apparently hadn't got the news yet either, despite Mike usually telling her everything before the rest of the group got to know.

Mike shook his head. "My dad gave me one more chance," he said.

Mercedes' bitching just escalated further that day, as she belted out an incredibly great, mind you, cover of "Spotlight" as a blatant dedication to Rachel, which she also, apparently, had used for her Maria audition.

Oh, so that was what all this was about. The Maria audition. Everyone knew it was going to end up in Rachel's hands. Puck was somewhat undecided on that part. Sure, Rachel was like a Jewish sister to him, and it felt wrong not rooting for her, but it would be a nice twist to see Mercedes as Maria.

When did he get qualified to make such a judgment anyway?

Not that he was the type of person to get tossed into the 'feeling-sorry-for-two-people-at-once'-dilemma, except that now, he kind of was. And that was Kurt's fault!

It was not a secret that Kurt had started to hang out more with Rachel lately, but he and Mercedes were still best friends. Having the two best friends of yours fighting and then having to pick side wasn't exactly an idyllic scenario. Kurt could sure as hell never out state his opinion, even though he might have had one.

So yes, Puck found himself feeling sorry for both Rachel and Mercedes, and that sucked. Rachel had only tried to be a good and loyal teammate, and Mercedes wasn't having it. Good enough reason to feel sorry for Rachel too. Damn, this was such a fucking mess.

**PKPK**

And the mess only escalated further, when Brittany announced to everyone that she was running for senior class president by singing a horrifyingly feministic, though admittedly hot performance of Beyoncé's 'Girls, Run The World'.

Damn… And what the hell? Was she even a senior?

Puck all but ran after his boyfriend after that performance. "How are you even okay?" he asked.

Kurt looked at him with a small smile. "It will be okay," he said.

Puck shook his head in a somewhat frustrated manner. "The hell it will," he scoffed, - "Kurt, you already lost your Tony audition."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me," he said sarcastically.

Puck realized that might have come out wrong. "Not what I meant," he said shortly, and Kurt gave another small smile at his boyfriend's adorableness. How could someone so hot be adorable?

"I just mean that you need it to get into that… Whatever it was you're getting into."

"NYADA," Kurt chuckled. He couldn't even get mad at his boyfriend for not having invested fully to his future plans.

"Yeah, that," Puck said, - "Kurt, you need to get out of here. This is a fucked up place."

Kurt stopped and looked at his boyfriend. "Will you help me?" he asked.

"Sure," Puck said instantly, - "How?"

Kurt sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea," he said, - "God, this is so messed up!"

**PKPKPK**

Messed up was the word. Not only were both he and Kurt forced to choose between Mercedes and Rachel for Maria, but Puck would also have to participate in Mike's audition, get closer to Shelby and by that, Beth, help Kurt out with both his audition and his campaign and focus on his own audition.

But first, Mike. And Azimio, who unfortunately would have to be a part of the rehearsals. The day of Mike's audition, the guy managed showing up half an hour late, and when Puck wondered if he forgot the way, Azimio threw out a comment that went something like this:

"Shut it, Puckerman! Two years ago you wouldn't be this early, but I guess Kurt's not putting out for you, so that's why you're here so freaking early."

Just as Puck had raised his fist, ready to punch, Mike had fortunately stopped him and made him sure that Azimio was anything but worth it.

Mike's audition went well, though, so no complaining there.

But complaints came once Puck got back to the Hudson/Hummel household, where Kurt was seated contently in the living room playing with Sarah.

"Can I knock Azimio's teeth out?" he asked as soon as he was inside, for the first time in a long while not really caring how much of an influence he was on Sarah. She was a smart girl, she would never see him as an influence.

"Not unless you wanna go back to Juvie," came Kurt's blunt remark.

Puck let out a growl. "I'm hungry, where are your parents?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and put Sarah down, whispering something about how she would have to play for a little while alone now.

"Out. Will be back in about half an hour," Kurt said, giving his boyfriend a concerned look, - "What happened?"

Puck sighed and sat down by the kitchen table in front of his boyfriend. "Azimio pissed me off."

"I can see that," Kurt said, reaching for his boyfriend's hand, - "What did he say?"

Puck shook his head. "I'm not telling you that."

"It was about me, wasn't it?" Kurt's voice was firm, which made his previous saying sound more like a statement than a question.

Puck sighed again, more frustrated this time. "To answer your question, yes."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "Well, then I guess I have the right to know."

Puck looked at him. "But you don't want to," he said, - "Trust me."

Kurt rolled his eyes, and continued pushing: "I will only be able to trust you if you tell me."

Okay, so first of all, that was totally not fair, and second of all, it made no sense, but Puck gave in. the boy wanted to know, he was practically an adult, so he could take it: "Fine," he said, a concerned look resting at his features, - "He made some lame and douchy comment about how you're probably not putting out for me."

The widening of his boyfriend's perfectly blue eyes broke his heart and he immediately wished he had been a better liar.

"Oh…," Kurt just said, in a voice so weak, it couldn't be mistaken.

"Baby…," Puck immediately said, grabbing Kurt's hands instantly, - "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

Kurt shook his head, and looked back at Puck. This time his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. "It's okay," Kurt said, his voice constantly weakening, - "I wanted to know."

"Don't listen to him," Puck said immediately.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, wiping away a tear, - "I'm really sorry…"

Puck cupped his face in his hands, wiping away another tear with his thumb. "Don't talk like that, baby, it's nothing to apologize for."

Kurt shook his head in denial. "We have to talk about this sometime," he said, grabbing a hold on his boyfriend's hands and resting them on the table again.

"What is there to talk about?" Puck asked, leaning back in his chair a little, - "We're a couple. We're gonna have sex sometime. You're not ready. I respect that. We wait until you're ready. End of story."

"I wish it was that easy," Kurt said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Fine," Puck said firmly, leaning even further back in his chair, - "You talk and I listen. Vent. Go on."

Kurt gave a sad chuckle. "I just…," he said, looking into his boyfriend's eyes, - "I wish I was ready… I wish I could do everything with you… I know you're not that guy, and I know you won't ever hurt me. Trust me, I actually talked to some of the cheerios who lost their virginities to you, and they all said that even though they regretted it, you never hurt them."

Kurt gave a little smirk at how pleased with himself his boyfriend looked.

"That's right," Puck shot in, - "Puckzilla knows his skills in bed. Go on."

Kurt had to laugh a little. Even in the most serious and somehow darkest moments, Puck knew exactly how to cheer him up. How to lighten the mood, despite how dark it was.

He shook his head. "So… There shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Kurt looked at his boyfriend for assurance.

"But there is," Puck said. This too was a statement, not a question.

Kurt nodded hesitantly. "I'm sorry."

Puck shook his head and stroked his boyfriend's hands. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"But don't you think this relationship gets boring?" Kurt shot in, - "I mean… You're a sex shark." Puck gave a chuckle. "I mean it. You've had sex _regularly _since you were twelve. That's six years. You must be bored as hell."

Puck let out a small laugh. "I still masturbate if that's what you mean?"

Kurt blushed slightly, getting somewhat aroused at the mental image.

"And yes," Puck said, forcing Kurt to look at him, - "I think of you while doing it."

He gave a wink and Kurt buried his head in his hands in embarrassment. Puck had to laugh. "Sorry," he said, - "Too much information."

Kurt shook his head. "It's hot actually."

Puck gave a grin. Of course it was. He took a deep breath. "It takes some getting used to," he admitted, - "Of course it does. But that doesn't mean I'm bored."

Kurt looked at him. He was pleased with the apparently honest answer he got. If Puck had said 'no' right away, he would never have believed him. "And," Puck continued, - "If I ever were to push you, in any way, into going any further, I wouldn't feel any better. Quite the opposite, actually."

Kurt gave him a sincere smile. He knew he meant it. "Kurt," Puck said, looking into his eyes, - "If I were to push you into anything, I couldn't… I probably couldn't live with myself…"

He rolled his eyes at himself. "That sounds so lame."

Kurt gave a laugh and pulled him into a warm kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

Puck nodded. "I love you too," he said, - "And no way in hell I'm letting Azimio control my sex life."

Kurt fell into a fit of laughter at this. Not because it was particularly funny, but because he needed something to laugh at right now.

When they had become serious again, Kurt asked: "Have you been talking to Shelby lately?"

Puck shook his head. "No," he said, - "Haven't talked to her since we visited her. Don't wanna barge in on her again."

His face fell a little and Kurt gave a small sigh. "You deserve to see Beth more, you know?"

Puck let out a sarcastic chuckle, not really believing him. "Right."

"You do," Kurt insisted. He thought for a while. "You'd be a great father, Puck."

Puck looked at him for a few long seconds. He didn't know why, but those were the words he had needed all along but never expected anyone to say. "Thanks," he said with a small sincere nod, - "I needed that."

Kurt smiled. "Anytime."

**PKPKPKPK**

Booty camp was on again the day after, and it was worse than ever. Finn hadn't learned his moves, and Puck was convinced he would never in his life learn them either. Evidently, they'd had some kind of homework that neither Puck, Kurt nor least of all Finn had worked on, because Puck and Kurt really weren't as bad dancers as Schuester wanted them to be, and because dancing wasn't Finn's thing and he didn't really bother.

For whatever reason Brittany had decided joining in today. Just to be with Santana of course, but that meant they would have two nazi dancing coaches instead of one (or three instead of two if Schuester counted), and this was not gonna be fun.

The major buzz-kill was still Mercedes. Fine, so she wasn't alone on it. Mr. Schuester was being quite much of a buzz-kill himself, yelling at her to get it better when she was complaining about being in pain. Puck didn't really care whether or not that was true, but if it was, Schuester was being rather unfair.

Unfair… That seemed to be the word of the week.

It all escalated when Mercedes decided to walk out, and Mr. Schuester said that if she walked out that door she was out of Glee Club. Was the guy insane? They didn't stand a chance without Mercedes' belting of the final notes of every single group number they did. Dance moves or none.

Still, she put up quite a little bitch fight involving the entire Glee Club and eventually it was hard finding someone to agree with. It at least ended with Mercedes quitting and everyone being left with their own little opinion of the case they were afraid of outing.

**PKPKPK**

Kurt, Puck and Finn drove home together that day, talking of the event. "I kind of have to stand by Rachel here," Finn said.

"That doesn't mean Schuester wasn't a douchebag about his decision," Puck argued.

Kurt was being rather quiet throughout the ride. He was seated contently behind the steering wheel, staring straight ahead all the while.

"What do you think Kurt?" Finn asked after he and Puck were done with their discussion, which wasn't heading anywhere.

Kurt jumped a little, and Puck gave him a concerned look. "It's Mercedes," he said silently, - "She's my best friend. Not being in Glee Club with her… I can't even imagine that."

Puck gave an understanding nod, and patted his leg comfortingly. "You'll still hang out," he said.

Kurt nodded. "Still," he said, - "We've been in Glee Club for two years now… Her and I. I don't know how this is going to be."

Puck gave a sad smile. "She'll come back," he said.

Kurt gave him a brief look, before turning back to the road. "You think?"

Puck nodded, even though he had no clue. "Sure."

**PKPKPK**

Their auditions were coming up. Kurt killed his part with Officer Krupke, and immediately got the part. He wouldn't have to sing for the part, just act, and that was good enough for the judges.

Puck auditioned for Bernardo with "La Camisa Negra", including his guitar. Thanks to his well-trained accent and him actually having been paying attention in Spanish class just because it was Mr. Schuester (or Holly Holliday) and he had kind of owed it to them. And his voice of course. He guessed that was the main reason. That or his guns. He'd been wearing a T-shirt, and Ms. Pillsbury must have… Okay, forget it. It was his voice.

Anyhow; he got the part! And he was happy. He and Kurt embraced each other for a long while as they found out. The idea that the judges would have to double-cast Maria came up, but Mercedes wasn't having it. She'd rather have them giving the part to Rachel, and so they did.

Kurt had apparently picked side, because he thought that was rather unfair… There was the word again.

It had been a quite messy week, and the next wouldn't be any better. Now it was time to get to talk to Shelby, make a deal with his mother about Sarah, and help Kurt with his campaign.

And also, probably, a bunch of other stuff.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: This is a chapter which makes the story deserve its M-rating. No real sex, though.**

**Also, about the prom episode: Do I really have to say anything? The Puck/Becky storyline had me in tears (still has), and the Puckurt of it was so fucking adorable. And by the Puckurt of it, I mean the Kurt saying something and Puck saying something right after, as well as the concerned look Puck gave as Kurt walked up to coronate the new prom queen. But Puck and Becky though… I loved how he treated her as an equal. He never talked down to her. Imagine how special that must have made her feel…**

**I'm crying again. I am very emotional this week. Time of month. Too much information, I know. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy it, and ignore me.**

There was nothing Kurt loved more than waking up in the arms of one Noah Puckerman. It happened rather often lately, which wasn't that strange. But seriously; waking up in the strong, protective arms of his boyfriend was such an encouraging way to start the day.

Usually it only made it worse to get out of bed, though. Puck would wrap is arms around him even tighter and mumble something about school not starting in one hour and a half. That being said, Kurt had a lot more on his plate before school than Puck did.

This morning was no different. It was Monday, and they had school. It was six thirty am, and Puck wondered why he had even bothered showing up first day of high school in the first place. But then he took a good look at the boy in his arms, and yeah… That was a good reason to go to that school. For whatever reason, Puck thought Kurt had always been that very good reason.

Sure, he used to toss him into dumpster like he hated him and his entire being, but truth be told, now in the aftermath, he could easily admit how pleased he was by having his hands on him at all. He also remembered how he, almost unconsciously, had made sure to drop him rather gently compared to what his teammates had done. So he wouldn't hurt him. Or wrinkle his clothes. God knew that bill wouldn't be pretty when he had to compensate for that.

Kurt squirmed in his arms. Puck had no idea how the kid managed waking up this early all by himself. But then again, so had he. But this was just a one-time occurrence on his part. Kurt seemed to wake up this early every day, except for on the weekends. And that being said, Kurt had plenty more reasons not to look forward to school than he did.

Wiping sleep out of his eyes, Kurt twisted so he could take a good look at his boyfriend behind him. Surprisingly he found him wide awake.

"Morning," he mumbled sweetly, snuggling into Puck's chest, nuzzling his neck a little. Kurt was so cuddly in the morning.

Puck let out a chuckle. "Morning," he said, as he rubbed his back comfortingly, - "Sleep well?"

He could feel Kurt nod under his chin, grinning wider at this. Kurt looked up at him with the most angelic facial expression. "Why are you up so early?" His voice was soft, almost concerned.

Puck gave a sweet smile. "I just woke up," he said, - "Had to stay awake, watch you sleep."

Kurt gave him a light slap on the arm. "Cheesy," he mumbled.

He felt Puck's chest rise and fall rapidly underneath him as he laughed. "You're saying something."

Kurt gave a slight yawn and sat up slowly. Puck was still lying in bed, just admiring the broad of his boyfriend's back. The instant urge to grab him and cuddle with him some more hit him, but he managed to resist. Yes, he actually did have resistance in him that he could use if he really, really, really tried.

Kurt put his legs down and hissed ever so slightly at the coldness that ran from the floor through to his feet. He rose up and walked over to his bathroom, just knowing he had Puck gazing at his butt.

Puck let out a groan as Kurt slammed the bathroom door shut behind him, and hurriedly sat up in bed, just to get some sort of a 'kick' to even bother going to school… Yeah, right, as if he ever got that kick.

But Sarah needed to get to school. So therefore he just lazily stepped out of bed, ever so slowly, slumped over to his part of the closet and pulled out a random pair of jeans and a sweater. It was getting cold in Ohio already.

Then he walked over to Kurt's couch where Sarah was sleeping. They knew that if they were to stay there for another month, Carole and Burt would find the girl a proper bed and make room for her somewhere. Puck was glad. Meant he would have a lot more alone time with Kurt.

He shook the little girl's shoulder gently. "Hey, time to wake up," he said groggily. Oh yeah, it was so convincing when he was even more tired than the sleeping girl in front of him.

Sarah let out a long yawn and rubbed at her eyes. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, and Puck let out a chuckle. He was fine with it.

While Sarah got her five extra minutes of beauty sleep, he decided to stalk right into Kurt's bathroom… and holy mother of god!

"Oh my god!" Kurt's scream was even more high-pitched than it usually was as he yelled for Puck to get out, as he immediately turned around and covered his junk with a towel…

And that was when Noah Puckerman realized that he had just seen Kurt Hummel naked. Butt naked. And this was wrong and so fucking right in so many ways, that he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Sorry," he laughed, and he could almost hear the blush forming on Kurt's face, - "Didn't know you'd be naked."

Fuck, had he said that in front of his sister? Thank god, she was still asleep! Damn, she was a heavy sleeper. Much like her brother.

"Can you please knock next time?" came Kurt's hurried voice from the bathroom, and a small sense of relief fell over Puck, that Kurt wasn't mad or any more uncomfortable than what was bearable about the situation.

"Sorry," Puck said again, and a pause appeared between the two, - "You're okay right?"

He still couldn't shake the thought… He had seen him naked. The small muscles of his chest he had seen before, but his bare ass, the firm muscle of it, as full and perfect as he had imagined, and not to mention what he had just barely gotten a glimpse of before Kurt wrapped the towel around him… Wow, he'd known the boy had been packing, but this was above his expectations.

"I'm fine," came Kurt's comment, and Puck looked down on himself, noticing the encouragingly growing bulge in his own pants. Damn, he needed the bathroom right away now or else he would come in his jeans.

Kurt exited the bathroom ten minutes later, and Puck frankly didn't care that Sarah was still asleep. "You okay?" he asked again. His voice was somewhat concerned now, which was a ridiculous contrast to the boner he was growing.

Quite right, Kurt had the biggest blush on his face. He nodded. "Yeah," he nodded, looking up at him with a shy smile, - "Yeah, the bathroom's yours now. I'll…" he hesitated, letting his eyes drift to Puck's crotch, only to look right back into his eyes again, - "I'll take care of Sarah."

Puck gave an awkward grin, partly because Kurt had been staring at his crotch and realized what was going on in that department, and partly because it would be like a fucking heaven to get rid of that boner in the best way possible.

So, sue him, he walked right into the bathroom, locked the door (unlike some certain countertenor he happened to both date and love and live with), pulled down his pants and underwear and wrapped his fingers around himself. And oh, that's a great feeling. Biting his bottom lip in the process, he started stroking. Softly and gently to begin with, imagining Kurt's pale body. And fuck, he already had to bite his lip just a bit harder not to let out a moan. He was gonna pull a Finn and come early today, and it would be fucking humiliating, but also a practical solution, he figured.

So he stroked just a bit harder, letting the fresh image of Kurt's naked ass in front of him, so round and firm, cross his mind. And he imagined him bending over, and stroked a little faster. This time the moan couldn't be held back, but he knew Kurt had taken Sarah up for breakfast either way.

So he continued, imagining Kurt spreading his legs wide for him, giving him the perfect view of the tightness between the cheeks. And he imagined himself getting up behind him, imagined trailing kisses down the pale body, touching him, wrapping his fingers around the boy's length, and feeling him responding to his touches. The real touches on his own body resembled those of his imagination, and as the image of him pushing in there, letting the tightness embrace his manhood, crossed his mind, he came with a vengeance. And that was the best fucking orgasm he'd had in a long while.

He supported himself with the wall for a moment, before wiping himself clean and pulling up his pants and underwear. He washed his hands and walked downstairs. Hesitantly. And that was when he remembered: He was the first. The first one to see him. The first since _him. _And it felt kind of right, but also so fucking wrong.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt was seated by the kitchen table when Puck came upstairs. Sarah had just finished her breakfast, and had now gone to pack her bag for school. Puck sat down beside his boyfriend and put his hand on his knee.

"You're beautiful," he smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to the boy's cheek.

Kurt smiled and took the hand that was on his leg. Puck took a deep breath, knowing now was probably the time to say something. "Is this weird…?"

Kurt shook his head. "No," he said, looking into Puck's eyes to let him face the sincerity of his words, - "No, it's not actually."

Puck gave a frown. He hadn't really been expecting that. "Then why are you being… distant?" he asked.

Kurt gave a crooked smile. "I don't know," he said, thinking for a while, - "Maybe because it _isn't_ weird. It feels natural."

The relief Puck was feeling at that moment was probably evident. "So it doesn't remind you of…?"

Kurt shook his head again. "No," he smiled, - "Not at all."

Puck was beyond relieved. No, more than that. He was happy, actually. Really, fucking happy. And he actually had no clue why.

But he just wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him close for a second. It was a rather blunt sort of behavior, but it fit in some way. Kurt was a little taken off guard, but he gladly snuggled up against his boyfriend's built chest for a few seconds.

"If it is any help," Puck whispered, - "You are so fucking hot."

**PK**

Puck met up with Shelby in the teachers' lounge that day. He didn't even know why, but he did. It felt right. He'd been waiting for a week; it was time to get to talk to her again. And he did. In a not so charming way. Hey, it's Noah Puckerman we're talking about here.

So yeah, he might have been throwing out some comment on how she should get some alone time for a while, seeing as she, even though she's still the hottest teacher at McKinley, apparently hasn't gotten enough time to fix her appearance lately.

It's a douchy thing to say, and come to think of it, he has never insulted a woman before in his life when it comes to her appearance. But what is it that you won't do just to see your daughter?

"Let me and Kurt babysit for you for a couple of days while you are out doing things that you like," he offered.

Shelby gave him a look that seemed to last for a few hours, before she let his guard down. "You know," she said, - "You're right. I've had no alone time in a while." She nodded thoughtfully, and continued: "Fine. You two babysit her. But if anything bad goes down, I will find out."

Puck nodded and he was sure the smile on his face was a little too happy for an ordinary babysitter. But when push came to shove, he wasn't just the babysitter. If this was the look on Kurt's face, then it would be weird.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

During lunch he walked over to his boyfriend, and sat down beside him. "Hey," he said, with a somewhat sly smirk on his face.

Kurt gave him a funny look. "Now, you look rather happy. What's up?"

Puck let out a chuckle. "Guess what?"

The countertenor sat back a little, the funny look on his face now a bit more confused. "No, what is it? Tell me."

"Okay," Puck said, now leaning against the table, - "I got to talk to Shelby today."

Kurt's eyes widened and a smile showed across his face and his voice got even more high-pitched than it usually was. "You did? Oh my god, that's great! What did she say?"

Puck took a deep breath. "I'm baby-sitting Beth for a couple of days."

Kurt's smile grew even wider. "You are? Puck, that's fantastic!" he exclaimed, wrapping his boyfriend into a hug, taking him off guard for a bit. "And I can take care of Sarah for those two days, it won't be any…"

Puck cut him off. "I actually planned on asking Finn about that," he said, causing a somewhat confused look to appear on Kurt's pretty little face, - "Because I want you to come with me."

Kurt's eyes softened. "Puck," he said softly, - "She's _your _daughter. I wouldn't wanna be a burden or anything."

"You won't be," Puck assured, - "As a matter of fact, you don't have a choice in this matter either. Shelby only agreed if I brought you."

Kurt looked a little surprised, but he calmed down quickly. "Well in that case, I guess we will only have to ask Finn."

Puck nodded, thinking for a minute. "You don't think he will fuck up, do you?"

Kurt shrugged. "You tell me, he was your best friend long before he was my brother."

Puck let out a sigh. "We have no choice but to trust him, do we?"

Kurt gave a small smile. "Guess not."

Puck grinned. He really didn't mind. Kurt was great with children, and Finn would probably manage with Sarah for a couple of hours.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck and Kurt were getting ready to go to Shelby's when their door rang. Kurt all but ran downstairs and Puck found it rather adorable how enthusiastic he managed being about almost everything. It was sort of… refreshing. Oh fuck it, everything Kurt did was adorable. He heard Kurt open the door, but he felt somewhat uneasy about the fact that he wasn't speaking anymore. Usually when he went to open the door, the visitor was met with a cheerful "Hi! It's so good to see you!" or something like that. Not this time.

"Kurt, is everything alright? You…"

Puck stopped in his track. Right there, in the doorway, stood Rebekah Puckerman. The woman who was supposed to be his mom.

"Mom…?" he asked, a little hesitant, as if he still couldn't quite believe she was really there.

It was then that he noticed she looked somewhat sober.

"Hi Noah," she said, her voice a thought softer than the last time he saw her.

He frowned as if he couldn't quite believe her, but he still took a couple of steps forward. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a bit harsher than he had meant it to be.

"I'm here to pick up Sarah," Rebekah said, and by that she just simply stalked by them, and headed for the living room.

Kurt just looked after her, with a somewhat shocked facial expression. It wasn't until then Puck comprehended what was really happening.

"Are you seriously doing this right now?" he asked her.

"I'm sobered up now, Noah," Rebekah said, and she almost sounded sincere, - "Sarah needs her mom."

Puck shook his head in disbelief and walked after his mom. "You can't do that!"

His mom ignored him. She knelt down beside her daughter, who was seated in front of the TV, watching some weird show Finn had put on for her. Finn nearly jumped out of the couch at the sight of Puck's mom. Not because there was anything special about her, but because her being there… Well, it was just weird after she kicked his best friend out of the house.

"Come on, Sarah," Rebekah said, as friendly as she possibly could.

Sarah looked at her in a confused manner. "Mom?"

Rebekah gave a small smile. "Yes, it's me…" She seemed hesitant, - "You're coming home with me today."

Sarah's expression grew, if possible, even more confused. "Why?"

Puck and Kurt approached the living room, and all they could really do, was stand there and regard the ridiculous scenario that was taking place in front of them.

Rebekah looked like she had given up for a second, and Puck spoke up: "Mom's not drinking anymore."

His voice was dry, and he gave his mom a death glare that said that he would come right back and get Sarah the moment his mom started drinking. Not a minute later. And he would know.

Sarah looked like she was thinking for a moment, before she turned to her brother. "Are you coming home with us?"

Her eyes were big and brown, with a soft sense of hope in them that Puck couldn't for anything in this world disappoint. So he gave his mom a questioning look, even though he already knew the answer. However, _he _wasn't going to be the one to let down his baby sister. His mom would take good care of that, if she had the heart to do it. Oh, who the fuck was he kidding? Of course she had the heart to do it.

"Noah's gonna stay here for a little bit longer," Rebekah said firmly, and Puck rolled his eyes at her as she just simply pulled Sarah into her arms as if she was some sort of a rag doll and headed for the exit door.

"Are we never gonna talk about this?" Puck asked his mother, - "I can't stay here forever, you know."

His mom gave him a glare, and said: "You can come back when you've changed your mind."

And by that she was off. Puck was still somewhat dumbfounded. "Are you okay?" Kurt asked softly, and reached for his boyfriend's hand.

Finn approached them. "Yeah, you look like somebody woke you from months of sleep…"

There was a silence before Puck broke it: "What the fuck just happened?" The words were speaking slowly, as if he really let himself let it sink in.

Kurt gave him a sympathetic look. it was pretty bad. Puck shook his head in disbelief, and now he looked a little more back on earth.

"I can't believe I just let that happen," he let out a dry chuckle, and dragged his hand through what little hair he had.

"Don't blame yourself for this, man," Finn said quietly.

Kurt shook his head in agreement. "No, this is not your fault. There was nothing you could do."

Puck shrugged. "Whatever? Let's get going, Kurt."

Kurt let out a frustrated sigh as his boyfriend walked out towards the truck. He gave Finn an apologizing look. "Take care here," he said, and Finn gave a concerned nod.

"I will."

**PKPKPKPK**

Kurt and Puck weren't as different as many people maybe should believe. One thing they had in common was their abilities to hide their true emotions for people they didn't want to recognize them. But for each other, on the other hand, they were completely open. It was one of the many things that made their relationship so special.

Puck was seated by the steering wheel. "Want me to drive?" Kurt asked gently, and Puck shook his head.

"No, I need to drive now."

Kurt gave a weak smile and nodded. "Okay," he said.

Puck usually didn't like it when people showed sympathy or empathy towards him. It made him feel like a wimp and it was not cool. But there was just something in Kurt's concern that was… He didn't know how to address it, but it actually didn't make him feel so totally lame. Kurt's concern wasn't pitying, it was just… well, concern. And he could totally be cool with that. From him, anyway.

So they drove away, and Kurt immediately started talking. And it was nice: "This is hard, isn't it?"

Puck gave a small smile and shrugged. "Yeah."

Kurt inhaled deeply and placed his hand on Puck's thigh. "I can't believe you haven't even gotten the chance to talk about it."

Puck shook his head. "It's insane," he commented, not really sure how else to put it.

There was a long silence, before Puck broke it. His voice was a bit rougher now: "Sarah isn't safe with her. Who knows what that woman can do?"

Kurt looked at him for a moment. He had to do something about this. That was his first instinct. He had no clue why he felt like he should, seeing as none of this was any of his business, but he so desperately wanted to help. His boyfriend had done so much for him over the course of the past few months, and it would be insane if he hardly did anything in return. So he said the only reasonable thing he could come up with:

"Tonight, after we've been babysitting Beth, we are going to your mother's place," he said firmly.

Puck looked at him as if he was crazy, but Kurt just shook him off, by telling him to watch the road.

"Are you insane?" Puck asked, as if it was just a completely common question, - "She'll kill us. Or… kick us out. It won't work."

"She has to, Puck," Kurt said softly, - "She's a coward otherwise."

"Well, that's pretty much how she actually is!" he snapped, before he sighed and shook his head in disbelief, calming down ever so slowly. "Sorry."

Kurt shook his head. "It's fine."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

So, Beth had seemed like a totally cool baby to deal with when Puck and Kurt had been there with Shelby. Now, that Shelby had gone, however, that was not the case.

The kid cried for what seemed like forever, and there was nothing neither Puck nor Kurt could do that seemed to help her. She was seated in Kurt's lap and had been crying for good ten minutes straight, when Puck reached out his arms. "Hey, let me take her," he said.

Kurt willingly handed the baby over to him, and as if miracle just stroke, Beth stopped crying instantly. Kurt could just regard his boyfriend and his daughter with wide eyes.

"She likes you," he smiled.

Puck scoffed. "Only person in this world that would have chosen me over you."

Kurt gave a sad smile at this. It was weird actually; earlier he hadn't been big on complimenting his boyfriend too much because he was afraid of boosting his ego. Now, on the other hand, his mind had changed somewhat. Sure, Puck had a big ego to some extents, especially regarding his extremely good looks. But other than the concrete physical advances, he seemed to feel downright bad about himself sometimes. And Kurt wasn't having it.

"It's not weird," he said, gesturing to Puck who was holding Beth ever so gently in his arms, rocking her slightly, - "You're incredible with her."

Puck looked at him for a second, as if wondering if he really had said what he had, before a genuine smile appeared. He gave a short, almost formal nod. "Thanks."

Kurt smiled, and got up and into the kitchen to get dinner ready. He contemplated whether or not to ask, but decided in favor of it: "Was it just because of Quinn?"

Puck frowned. "You mean…?" he gestured to Beth, not really capable of even mentioning giving her up right now.

Kurt nodded slowly. "Yeah?"

Puck nodded. "Pretty much. She wasn't ready, you know…"

Kurt nodded. "I see," he said, chewing slightly on his lip, - "That was very noble of you."

Puck chuckled him off. "Right…"

Kurt hoped he secretly believed him. He wanted him so badly to believe him.

**PKPKPK**

After they had been babysitting, they made good on Kurt's promise about heading off to Puck's place to have a real talk with Rebekah. They needed to know what was really going on here, and more importantly, Puck needed to know that Sarah would be safe, no matter what.

"You nervous?" Kurt asked, as they were sitting in their car, heading for the Puckerman household.

"Hell no," Puck denied, and Kurt gave a small smile. Puck rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, - "A little. But it's cool." He shrugged. "I can handle this."

Kurt let out a sigh. He knew he could. He just wished he wouldn't have to.

The Puckerman household looked like it always had looked; like an ordinary American family household. Maybe a little less wealthy or refurbished than the other houses in the neighborhood, but no one would be able to guess that there lived a woman who for many years had been out drinking as often as she possibly could, leaving her son, who she later had abandoned, to take care of his eight years younger sister.

Puck inhaled deeply, and let it all out in one breath. "Let's go," he said, as he took off his safety belt.

"Sure you want me to go in with you?" Kurt asked.

The Jewish boy gave him a look that asked him, once again, if she was completely insane. "Why are you asking?"

Kurt sighed. "Come on, Puck," he asked, - "This has been a giant elephant in the room for a while now."

He didn't really know why he started talking about this all of a sudden, but it had been tearing on him in some way. He had just not wanted to think about it.

"What?" Puck asked, sitting back in his seat, looking completely relaxed for the first time during the car ride. "Spit it."

Another sigh escaped the brunette. "Your mom's basically forcing you to choose between me and her," he stated, giving Puck a sad smile.

"So?" Puck asked, - "Don't you think I've thought about that?"

Kurt took a shaky breath. "I've seen how it's been tearing at you. How it's tearing at you now."

"Oh my god…," Puck shook his head in complete disbelief, - "Don't think I'm gonna leave you, cause I'm not."

Kurt gave him a loving smile, and then nodded. "Fine," he said, - "I just don't wanna be a burden…"

Puck grabbed a hold on the boy's hand. "I'm not leaving you," he repeated, - "Look," he shifted uncomfortably in the seat, - "My mom's not necessarily pissed about me being bi or gay for you or whatever it appears that I am…"

Kurt gave a small chuckle. He loved how totally unconventional his boyfriend was when it came to them as a couple. Puck continued: "She turned her back on me because she couldn't handle another child."

At Kurt's questioning look, he added: "Otherwise she would have been totally uncomfortable by having Sarah with the two of us, see? Called us bad influence or whatever." Kurt nodded understandingly. Puck was right. "I'll talk to her now, and you're coming with me. I know exactly what to say."

Kurt nodded again and they both got out of the car. As they were nearing the terrace, Kurt asked: "But if you know so well what to say, why I have to come with you?"

Puck shrugged, and gave him a grin. "I don't know," he said casually, - "Moral support or whatever you wanna call it."

Kurt's smile widened a bit, and they headed for the door, and Puck rang the bell. "What are you gonna say?" Kurt asked quickly, in a whispered voice.

Puck gave him another look, this one more sincere. "The truth."

Kurt didn't get to ask further, before Sarah appeared in the doorway. Both the boys were quite relieved. They had expected Rebekah, who probably would have shut the door on them immediately. Sarah was a perfect way out.

"Noah!" she exclaimed, and threw herself into her brother's arms. She smelled like one of his mother's favorite Jewish recipes, which could only mean two things: Either his nana was in town, which was unlikely, because then he would have gotten phone call by now about how much of a bitch his mother was. Oh yeah, his nana was a cool lady. Or option number two: His mother was actually sober.

"Hey there!" he said, planting a kiss to her cheek. It was weird. It felt like they had been away from each other for ages, when it had actually only been a couple of hours. "Mind if we come in?" he asked. It was a pretty unfair position to put his baby sister in, he knew that, sue him. It was the best way to actually get his plan through smoothly.

The little girl nodded, and the boys walked in, slipping off their shoes in the narrow hallway. "Where's mom?" Puck asked, surprising himself a little as to how he referred to Rebekah as mom so carelessly still.

He walked inside, and found his mother in the kitchen. She had obviously heard them coming, seeing as her face had been reduced to one firm, slightly pissed of facial expression with a hint of shame in it. Oh yeah, he knew her all too well.

"Hi," he said hesitantly, as he sat down slowly in front of her by the kitchen table, not very different from how he'd done the day he got kicked out.

She gave him a weak nod, and pushed her food to the side, indicating that she was finished. "Figured you'd come," she said, her voice a hint darker than it usually was. More firm, and Puck was actually relieved. That meant she was sober, and actually knew completely what she was doing.

It wasn't until then that Puck really took in the essence of his home, and a small lump formed in his throat. It occurred to him how much he'd missed all this. He gave a soft smile, and started talking:

"Glad to see you're getting better," he said.

"Flattering will get you nowhere, Noah," his mother said, and it sounded completely idiotic, he knew, but he was happy his mom actually had the drive to even talk back to him.

He gave a small chuckle. He did better at putting up with her bullshit. He had to play his games wisely now, if he was even hoping for the least bit of a chance at making Sarah completely safe.

"Mom…," Puck said, and Rebekah lifted her gaze slowly to look at him, - "What is this all about? You've put up with everything I've done; when I knocked Quinn up you let her stay here, every time I failed or got caught cheating, you had my back and tried to make me better, motivate me, and when I got to Juvie you didn't even lose your grip."

His mother's gaze remained cold. "So," Puck said, repeating his earlier spoken words: "What happened? Why is this so bad?"

Kurt had gone out in the living room to play with Sarah, which was actually a good solution.

Rebekah sighed and leaned back in her chair. She dragged her hand across her face. "I can't deal with any of this anymore, Noah," she said.

"Deal with any of what?" Puck shot back, his voice a bit firmer now, - "Another child? Okay, I am gonna be straight forward with you…" Fine, so maybe he wasn't so good at playing his games wisely after all, - "But you've been the child here. I've been taking care of Sarah ever since dad bailed on us. Have you forgotten that? And I've also made almost half the money."

Rebekah took a deep breath, and Puck knew it meant she knew he was right. "Please, mom," he said, - "You have to let me back into your life. And don't ask me to break up with Kurt before I do, because I won't. Then I'm better off without you. But Sarah needs me."

Rebekah let out a sigh. "I know you're right," she said dryly, and Puck was happy with that admission. Then, what was the problem?

"I'll come up with a solution," Rebekah said finally, but she seemed to change the subject a little: "I'm sorry. I was drunk and I realize now that what I did was wrong… You were just so much responsibility."

Puck's jaw fell. That was it? I'm sorry? Not that he wasn't happy about it. It was actually more than he had ever been wishing for, but still… That was all it took? He couldn't forgive right away obviously, but he would get there.

He nodded. "Cool," he said, - "That's it?"

Rebekah shook her head. "No," she said, - "I'm ready to try again."

Puck frowned. "You're taking me back, or…?"

"I don't know," Rebekah said, - "Do you want me to?"

Puck nodded weakly. "Sure," he said, - "Of course that's what I want."

Rebekah nodded and twirled her fingers together in front of her. "We're trying again," she said, - "You're trying to be better. At everything. School, and don't get yourself in much trouble. And I will try to stay sober. But one thing, you should keep in mind."

"Anything."

Rebekah gave him a firm nod. "I'm only taking you back because Sarah can't do without you…," another deep breath was taken, - "And neither can I. I need you to take care of me. Make sure I don't drink again."

Puck nodded slowly. Secretly, he hated the woman. Hated how selfish she was. But she took him back, so that must have meant she loved him in some weird way, didn't it?

"And," Rebekah said, looking a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden, her light getting some emotion, - "Remember that night right before your dad left? When he came home after having been drinking? When I was pregnant and he was about to…"

She couldn't say the words. She was much like her son in that way; didn't like seeing herself as the victim. Who liked that anyway?

Puck just nodded solemnly, and a shiver went up his spine. How could he forget? He probably still had scars somewhere. Covered by some from fight club of course, but still.

Rebekah gave a small smile. "You probably saved me that day," she said, her dry voice somewhat dreamy now, - "And you saved Sarah's life."

Sarah's laughter rang from the living room, and Puck had to bite his lip for a second. "Thanks mom," he said after a long while, - "You'll not regret this."

He got up from his place by the table. "I'll go back to get my stuff."

Rebekah nodded, and as Puck was about to bring Kurt with him and head off, she said: "Noah?"

He turned back. "What is it?"

She gave a new smile, this one more genuine. Almost like the one she'd had when both she and his father had been happy, and he wasn't drinking so much. "I'm sorry."

Puck gave a small smile too. "It's okay," he lied.

"Kurt!" he called after his boyfriend, - "We're going back to your place to get my stuff."

He could hear Kurt jumping off the floor, and heading with rapid steps towards him. "Really?" he mouthed as they were standing in the hallway, slipping on their shoes.

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I'll tell you everything on our way home."

Kurt's smiled widened and he planted a loving kiss on his lips. "I'm so happy for you, Puck."

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

"Do you think I should tell him?"

Puck and Kurt were in Kurt's room, packing Puck's stuff. Burt had just been downstairs, saying goodbye to the jock, and telling him it was nice having him there. It was a somewhat odd feeling. He felt almost… he didn't even know the word. Appreciated, maybe?

"Tell who what?" Puck asked as he threw his Letterman jacket on the bed, leaving it to Kurt to fold it neatly and put it in his bag.

"My dad," Kurt said, - "About what… What happened to me?"

Puck let his guard down, as well as the clothes he was carrying, and immediately stalked over to his boyfriend and wrapped him into a warm embrace. He didn't quite know why, but whenever Kurt started talking about what had been done to him, he just wanted to hold him forever and never let him go. He wanted to protect him, make him feel safe and cherished and loved again.

Kurt let himself fall into the embrace of his boyfriend. He knew it was selfish, but he got weirdly emotional over all of this. He was happy that Puck could move back with his family again, but what he was not so happy about, was that now he wouldn't have his boyfriend to comfort him or hold him whenever the thought of his rapist stroke him. He had become so needy after Puck moved in.

"I'll miss you," he said, cursing himself right after having said the words. How pathetic was he.

Puck tightened his hold on him and kissed the top of his head. "Call me or visit me whenever you need me," he said, - "I'm not far away, you know."

Kurt gave a soft laugh and tightened his grip as well. "I'm sorry," he said, letting himself be soothed by his boyfriend's caresses of his back, - "I love you."

Puck laughed a little, and eventually let go of him. "To answer your question," he said with a smile, - "I don't know… Would he have another heart attack?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know," he said, - "He got quite worked up over the Karofsky thing and he didn't even know about the kiss."

Puck gave a frown. "Then no," he said, - "I know this is not the correct advice I should be giving, but no… I don't think you should tell him. For as long as you can deal with me by your side alone, I don't think it would be a good idea."

Kurt nodded slowly. "I think you're right," he said.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Puck had quite a lot on his plate now; his mom, his sister, his pool-cleaning business which hadn't been going too well since he started dating Kurt… For obvious reasons. So yeah, he kind of hired an assistant who was about thirteen years old. He found him outside the temple. He also had Beth and Shelby, and Kurt, but he was no burden. He was anything but a burden actually.

So while the Glee Club went its run, with the new kid Rory trying to fit in, Kurt's father running for congress against Sue and Santana and Brittany dealing with whatever it was that they were… Damn, the Glee Club was getting kind of gay. Like he was the one to talk. While it went its run, he went his run.

But he was quite happy with it all. It sort of felt like his life had purpose. And Kurt was wonderful in every way. Even when Puck said with a guilty conscience (yeah, he actually had one), that he had to go to Shelby's place alone, Kurt didn't complain.

So of course Puck headed off to the Hummel/Hudson household after to make it up to him. And Kurt wasn't pissed. At all. Which pretty much summed up how incredible he was.

Mercedes, Santana and Brittany bailed on the Glee Club that week, which sucked. They were pretty much screwed now.

However, that didn't mean the club couldn't still be friends, and they remained friends. Actually, they remained such great friends that Brittany threw a part that weekend for both the Troubletones and the New Directions.

The party was pretty much the same as the party Rachel threw, which was pretty great, actually. At least it turned out to be great eventually.

Puck wasn't drinking tonight though, which was pretty weird actually, because he didn't even mind. Kurt's family was out that weekend, and Finn would be staying at Rachel's, so he and Kurt would be having the house to themselves once they got home.

**PKPKPK**

Kurt was being surprisingly clingy when they hit the Hummel/Hudson household. Not that Puck was complaining.

"Baby…," he said as they got themselves locked inside, - "How much have you been drinking?"

"Mmmm…, don't remember…"

Kurt had turned to sucking on the mohawked boy's neck now, and Puck had suddenly forgotten how to speak languages. A low moan escaped his throat, because Kurt's lips were feeling rather amazing. As if he needed a reason anyway.

They headed for Kurt's room, and before either of them was even aware of what was going on, they had laid down on the bed. Kurt practically pulled Kurt on top of him, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Damn, the boy was stronger than he looked.

The kiss quickly turned into a make-out session, as Kurt allowed Puck's tongue slip into his mouth. Kurt let his hands go from around his boyfriend's neck and down his chest. He let them trail down his body until they reached his hips.

The smaller boy bucked his hips upwards, and Puck let go of Kurt's mouth. The boy was already growing a semi-hard erection.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Puck asked, completely serious now, hoping Kurt was getting it. Not that he wasn't turned on. Hell, if he had been having the least bit of a drink by now, they would both probably have been undressed. But he was sober, and maybe that was a good thing in this case.

"Make me forget…," Kurt mumbled, as he clumsily pulled Puck's shirt upwards.

Not really knowing why he did, Puck let the shirt slide off him. Kurt bucked his hips some more, creating some kind of friction, and to say that Puck wasn't getting hard from it, would have been a lie.

But still… Puckzilla was screaming for attention, and Puck's brain was screaming for some sense to go down.

Forcing himself to ignore the attention-seeking organ in his pants, Puck grabbed a hold on his boyfriend's face, and caressed his cheek ever so gently. Looking into his blue eyes for some kind of answer or reason, he said: "Baby, you're not ready for this…"

Kurt wasn't having it. He for whatever reason pulled his shirt off, and why the hell did he pick today not to wear any other layers? "Don't you want me?" he asked, his voice still somewhat tired.

Puck let out a sigh. "Of course I want you," he said, planting a kiss to the boy's lips, - "But Kurt, look at me."

Kurt did as he was told.

"If we do this tonight, you won't remember it tomorrow. And we have no condom and we have no lube. I won't have you regretting this tomorrow."

Kurt looked up at him, and for a weak second, Puck thought he could see some kind of clarity in his eyes which seemed so lost.

But he must have been wrong, because the only shaky words that came out of his boyfriend as he pulled away, and lay down on his side of the bed, was: "You don't love me."

Puck let out a desperate growl. Great. This was so fucking great. He never could get it right, could he?

"Please, baby, don't talk like that…"

"You don't love me…," Kurt's voice was weakening, and even though he was laying with his back turned towards him, Puck knew he was crying.

And despite how angry he was with him right now for making him feel like this, he wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in his arms and just hold him. Hold him and let all the pain go away.

And as that thought stroke his consciousness, it occurred to the jock that he couldn't even be mad at his boyfriend. Because this, and his hysterical behavior, was not his fault. It was _him. _The man who had hurt him so badly back when he was fifteen. And he hated him. He hated him for everything he had done.

"Baby, you're not making any sense," Puck said, daring to lie down, and wrap his arms around his boyfriend. Kurt tensed for a moment, but to Puck's relief, he didn't push him away.

"Get some sleep," Puck whispered in his boyfriend's ear, letting his lips trail over the sensitive spot of his neck, tasting the salt wetness of his tears there. He pulled him closer, and was glad his erection was finally cooling off, or else all of this would be some major form of hypocrisy, - "I'll take care of you."

Kurt cried himself silently to sleep that night. In the haziness of his drunken state, he felt anything but lovable or cherished. Not even by his own boyfriend. How damaged had he become?

**PKPKPKPK**

It was six thirty am when Kurt's eyes slowly fluttered open. He had a pounding headache and his stomach was twirling but he couldn't get up for some reason. What the hell happened last night?

He remembered being at Brittany's place… And he remembered making out with Puck in their hallway. And he remembered going to his room… Oh god.

He let his hands go to his face, bracing himself for the tears that were about to fall over what had probably happened, that he couldn't remember.

That was when he noticed that he was still wearing pants, and that he wasn't feeling any type of pain aside from the headache and stomach-ache that usually come with the hangover.

_Nothing happened…_

And then he remembered what kind of person Puck really was. And what he had done, or more specifically, hadn't done last night. He had waited. He'd been aroused, he remembered. He could feel his erection, and he'd been harder than him. But he had waited. Stopped him even. And he had been disappointed. Whiny, even… Oh my god, what had he done?

That was when he realized why he wasn't able to get up. Puck had his arms wrapped around him in a gentle but firm embrace.

And that was when Kurt's tears started falling. He didn't even know what kind of tears they were. Tears over everything, maybe? Tears of relief for how Puck had been, tears of despair for what he had been put through those years ago, but mostly they were tears of gratitude, and shame for how he had been acting the previous night.

Puck woke up to the sound of his boyfriend's soft sniffles. Oh my god, was he still crying…?

"Baby…," he soothed, rubbing his back gently.

Kurt was immediately alarmed by the raspy voice and gentle touches from the man behind him. He turned around slowly and wrapped his arms around his neck, sobbing softly into his shoulder.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Puck whispered, taken a bit off guard by the boy's embrace. He also didn't quite know what to say.

He felt Kurt shake his head, and then the smaller boy said maybe the two words he'd not expected: "Thank you…"

He tightened his hold on him. "For what?" he asked gently.

"For everything."

He didn't need to say more. Noah Puckerman was sure as hell not the brightest kid in Lima, but he was far from stupid. And he knew what that comment meant.

It meant he had finally managed doing something right, without screwing anything up.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

**SORRY FOR THE WAITING! This chapter was a bitch to write. This is the last chapter, guys! I might make a sequel, but for now this will be the final chapter, and it makes me kind of emotional. I've been enjoying writing this story, and I'm quite happy with it. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews!**

**And don't worry! I have more Puckurt fics coming up, in a different universe than this one, so stay tuned.**

**There's a lot going on in this chapter, so that's why I had to take a little longer to get it done. Also, I haven't gotten time to write in a while because I've been an emotional wreck. The Props episode… Really? You had to throw that in my face right now? You can't just do that to me, okay? It is not okay. It was perfect though in all its misery. I just found it so sweet how much Puck helped Beiste without even knowing it. He is such an amazing person… Also, Rick the Stick is an asshole. Calling someone a loser when you have a mullet yourself… I say no more.**

**But here it is, and I hope you're not disappointed! This chapter was a bitch to write, but I enjoyed the challenge.**

It took quite a long while for the couple to get out of bed the next morning. Kurt had apologized about ten times by eleven am, and Puck was getting slightly annoyed. "It's okay, Kurt," he said, kissing his neck softly.

Kurt shook his head. "I was awful," he said shortly, and Puck chuckled.

"No, you weren't."

Kurt let out an annoyed sigh. The two were silent for a moment, before Kurt turned towards his boyfriend. "I'm really glad you didn't do anything."

Puck's face softened and a warm smile appeared on his features. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and pulled him close. He smelled fantastic. "I could never do anything," he promised.

A soft sigh escaped Kurt as he snuggled closer to his boyfriend. "Mind if we sleep for a little while longer?" he asked.

Puck let out another chuckle, before he kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. "Sure thing, princess."

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

The rehearsing for West Side Story had started and both Puck and Kurt were kind of cool about it all. Their parts weren't really all that big and they weren't particularly challenging either. It would be fine.

After their rehearsal one day, they were seated in Kurt's living room. Puck's mom was, as far as he was concerned, home with Sarah, and Kurt's parents were off in Washington. As for Finn, Puck had no idea.

They were both exhausted (Artie was a hard boss), and even though they had agreed to watch a movie, neither of them had found the force to even get up from the couch. So they were just lying there, Kurt cuddled up against Puck's side.

There was a silence between them. One of those comfortable ones, but Puck still had something to say. Contemplating whether or not to go there, he decided in favor of it; coughing slightly, he asked: "Kurt?"

He dragged his fingers through the smaller boy's hair, calling his name at first to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep.

"Hm?" Kurt asked, and Puck felt a bit bad for what he was about to ask:

"When do you think you will be ready?"

He spoke the words with as much concern as he could master, so there was no misunderstanding. It probably would be either way. He still ran his fingers through the boy's hair.

Kurt squirmed a bit uncomfortably. "Soon," he promised, with a weak smile, - "But you were right the other night… I wasn't ready then. But I might be… I might even be ready now, but I just want to be sure, you know?"

Puck nodded, and pulled his boyfriend into a more comfortable position. "Sorry," Kurt whispered, almost inaudible.

Puck shook his head. "Don't apologize. Your terms."

Kurt let out a small chuckle. "How don't you get tired of me?"

Puck grinned. "Your looks help."

Kurt slapped him lightly on the arm. "Screw you."

"You wish."

Kurt looked up at him, and Puck swore that if there was one person in this world who had a better death glare than he had, it was Kurt. And that death glare was he on the receiving end of now, and it was not fun. He still had to chuckle though, stupid as it was.

"Oh, you're funny, aren't you?" Kurt asked, the glare never leaving Puck.

"Sure am," Puck said, pinching Kurt's sides lightly, causing him to squeal and sit up on the complete opposite side of the couch.

Puck just regarded the ridiculousness of the situation. When a minute had passed, he turned to his boyfriend and said with a chuckle: "Gonna be mad forever?"

Kurt gave him the same glare, but he couldn't stay serious for too long. A small smile appeared on his features, but he tried to hide it. He failed. Frustrated he asked: "Why do I love you again?"

Puck shrugged. "You tell me." He gave a small grin and a raise of his eyebrows, and Kurt completely unconsciously licked his lips. Damn, why did he have to be so damn tempting?

Kurt gave him a sly grin. "Your looks help."

Puck couldn't do anything but laugh at that.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck was really grateful Shelby had started to open up a little to him; not just by words, but also quite literally. She had finally allowed him to be a part of Beth's life.

Quinn had apparently made up her mind about the matter; she'd given her baby up and she stood by that decision. Puck had to admire her for finding that strength. But then again, he had always been more devoted to their baby than she had been.

He had come to visit Shelby on his own more often now, and he wasn't entirely sure if Kurt was cool with that. He pretended to be, of course, but his disappointment seemed to grow for every time Puck said he had to go on his own (which happened more often than not those days).

While Puck understood where Kurt was coming from, he thought it was just a bit unfair; they still spent a lot of time together. Puck was at Kurt's place nearly every day. It was a bit weird really, that they rarely ever were at Puck's place, but it just didn't feel natural. First of all, their house was really small, and second of all, he knew his mother still wasn't entirely comfortable having the two of them around the house. She still wasn't content about them.

She was doing a lot better when it came to her drinking, though, and that was a good thing, because it meant Puck and Kurt got a lot of time together.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

It was just one of those days. Kurt called Puck up, asking him to come over. He hated telling him no, but a promise was a promise.

"Sorry, I'm going over to Shelby's tonight…," he said hesitantly, - "Again."

Kurt let out a small sigh. "Okay," he said, and Puck could almost hear his face fall.

"I'm sorry," Puck said rapidly.

"No, go…," Kurt said, - "It's fine. What about tomorrow?"

"Sure," Puck said immediately, without thinking. He was afraid that if Shelby made a proposition for him to come tomorrow as well, he wouldn't be able to say no. damn, why was he getting so attached to all of this? It was Beth of course, and while Shelby was a cool and hot lady, she'd got nothing on his boyfriend. Beth was his weakness here. Come to think of it, nearly every decision he made, even before she came around the second time, was about her. He knew Kurt respected that, but he knew he didn't quite understand it.

So he headed off to Shelby's place that evening, ready to spend some more quality time with his daughter.

****

Quinn Fabray had given up on her daughter, and she stood by that decision. Saying she didn't care where Shelby and Beth were, however, would be a lie. She did. She cared for Beth, and since she reacted this way, with this motherly care despite her firm decision, she thought it was a little irresponsible of Shelby to settle not only in Lima, but also a mile from where she lived.

Okay, so she didn't know if Shelby knew that she lived such a short distance away, and frankly, Quinn only found out where Shelby lived by complete accident:

She was going for a walk that evening. It wasn't particularly late, about ten pm, so she figured nothing exciting was going to happen.

Quinn wasn't really one to care about other people's lives. She'd had enough drama in her own to fill in for about ten more, so she frankly had no clue why she randomly took a look at the house beside her. The house had pretty big windows, and in the window stood a couple making out.

Usually Quinn would have just turned away rapidly and walked away, but there was something awfully familiar about the pair's silhouettes. She took one distant step closer, and let out a gasp as she recognized who the silhouettes belonged to: In front of her stood Shelby Corcoran swapping spit with no one but Noah Puckerman.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Quinn didn't bother to stand there for any longer. She didn't know for how long the kiss had lasted; frankly, she didn't know anything. She just knew she had to get out of there, and head for Kurt's place immediately. And so she did.

She decided she could just walk, because there was no way she would change direction now. So she walked with as rapid and determined steps as she had ever used, heading for the Hummel/Hudson household.

If this had been the old Noah Puckerman; the Puck from way back when, she would have walked in and given him a piece of her mind. But this was Puck. And he was dating Kurt, who was, despite every façade he tried to put up, in a very vulnerable state. She couldn't believe it. Puck had even had her fooled! And that was saying something.

She knew she could have been playing her games more wisely, but as of right now, all she cared about was finding somewhere to rage. And the raging would take place at the Hummel/Hudson household.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

The West Side Story premiere was in two days, and Kurt had his part rehearsed. His boyfriend was off at Shelby's, and his explanation had been that he'd had to go alone. Deep inside Kurt felt a little sting of jealousy and also a little sense of doubt for the first time in this relationship. He shrugged it off. His boyfriend would never cheat on him. He trusted him that much.

He was seated in his room, doing homework, when the doorbell rang. His parents were still off in Chicago and Finn was, as usual, over at Rachel's place for some dinner with her. For whatever reason her dads were also out of town, so he had the house to himself.

He jumped out of bed, heading for the door, wondering who it could be. A slight hope told him it could be Puck who came home early from Shelby's. But it was probably just Finn who'd forgotten the key.

He didn't, however, expect Quinn Fabray to be standing on his terrace, her face flustered probably from cold, but also something very close to rage.

"Quinn," he said surprised, - "Come in, what happened?"

Quinn got in, took off her shoes, and she was standing completely limp in front of him. "Noah Puckerman…," she said, her voice darker than ever, - "He has really stepped in it."

Kurt looked worried and put his hands on Quinn's shoulders, almost to stabilize her. "What is it, Quinn?" he asked, - "What has he done now?"

He wasn't really sure what he was expecting.

Quinn raised her hands, only to let them fall again. "I saw him kiss her!" she exclaimed, wanting to cry. Kurt's face fell.

"Who?" he said, his voice almost completely lifeless now, and it killed her.

"Shelby," Quinn said, surprising herself how easy it was for her to say the words.

Kurt's big blue eyes softened, and tears appeared in them rapidly, even though no one fell completely. He took a couple of steps backwards until he reached the living room. "I need to sit down," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, as he buried his face in his hands for a few seconds.

Quinn just stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, chewing her thumb nail. She had stopped chewing her nails in freshman year, but right now she might as well go back to old addictions.

"What…?" Kurt's broken voice came abruptly, tearing at the blonde's heart, - "Quinn..." his voice sounded helpless now and Quinn let her motherly instincts take over, and walked towards him a little, wanting to wrap him in her arms and hug her. "When?" Kurt asked, - "How?"

His whole world, that he had spent so many months building up with Puck, was now falling apart. He should have known. He should have known it was all too good to be true. The boy he had opened up to completely, the one he had felt ready to give himself completely to after so many months, years, of misery, had been cheating on him.

"About half an hour ago," Quinn said, her voice almost as lifeless as Kurt's. She was trying to keep her rage at bay, - "At Shelby's house. I happened to walk by…"

Kurt was silent for a long while, before he cleared his throat, asking: "How long?"

Quinn shrugged. "I don't know…" While her voice gained a little more hope, she said: "It could have just been very quick…"

"It doesn't matter!" Kurt exclaimed, his voice finally breaking, - "He's…" He stopped, almost not able to say the words, - "He's been cheating on me, Quinn! … And…" His voice broke completely as tears started to fall. "He's everything I need to stay strong… He's helped me so much, he…"

Quinn wanted to say something to Kurt about not letting Puck have any credit for his courage, but instead she just walked rapidly over to where he was seated, and wrapped her arms around the boy. "It's gonna be okay," she whispered, as she kissed the top of his head, letting him lean into her embrace.

Quinn Fabray stayed the night at the Hummel/Hudson household. When Finn came home, he thankfully didn't even realize something was wrong. He seemed upset over something. Quinn would make sure to ask Rachel what about the next day. But right now her main concern was Kurt.

She put him to bed, and lay down with him, cradling him like a baby. She stayed with him through the night.

**PK**

Why the hell did he do that?

Puck woke up in his room the morning after, realizing it was Thursday and he had to go to school. Everything had seemed fine until he had finally sat up in bed, and realized that everything absolutely wasn't.

He had kissed Shelby last night. That much was clear. He'd had a couple of beers before he got there (he walked the way to her place, taking Kurt's advice on no driving after having been drinking), but that was really no excuse. Besides, who the fuck gets tipsy on a couple of beers? No one, let alone him.

It was his way of expressing himself. He tried to think back. Did he have any feelings for Shelby, whatsoever, besides the fact that she was the mother of his biological child? No. did he care about her? That was it. It was care. It had been a caring kiss. That explanation sounded as fucked up in his head as it did to everyone else who might or might not have to hear it.

But nevertheless, it was true. She had been upset about the whole alone-mother thing, and he hadn't really known what more to say besides: "I'll be here no matter what," and he had done what Puckerman does best besides expressing things through song; expressed it through action.

And he had never felt more awful about anything in his life.

He had to tell Kurt. No. Scratch that! He couldn't tell Kurt. The last time something like this happened, Kurt had almost broken up with him, and then he hadn't even been the kisser. Now he had initiated it, and if Kurt knew the entire situation, he would definitely leave him. And he couldn't have that.

Boy, had he stepped in it…

**PKPKPKPK**

Quinn woke up before Kurt the next day, which in her experience, was very rare. Kurt was not only a light-sleeper, but he also got up very early in a natural manner. Realizing they only had an hour before they had to be in school, she shook him lightly. "Kurt," she whispered, her voice even more raspy than before, due to the fact that she had been sleeping after having screamed a whole lot, - "Wake up, honey."

Kurt's eyes fluttered open. He had been crying the whole night and his dreams had been anything but pleasant. This time the demon in his dreams had been someone completely different from the one who usually haunted his nightmares, though. It didn't take long before realization hit him, and he had to fight to keep his tears at bay.

"Are you up for school today?" Quinn asked, stroking his hair.

His first reaction was shaking his head, but then he changed his mind with a small nod. "I have to confront him."

"He's not worth it," Quinn insisted, - "You should take it over the phone, he doesn't deserve anything better."

"I wanna force him to face me," Kurt argued, sitting up slowly, - "I have to go."

Quinn nodded understandingly, and mouthed an okay before she got out of bed. Her clothes, hair and makeup were a mess all together, but she couldn't even bring herself to fix it or even care.

Fifty minutes later they were on their way out the door, heading for Kurt's car. "I'm gonna go get the mail," Quinn said, heading for the mailbox, but Kurt stopped her.

"Just leave it," he said, - "Let's just go."

She didn't argue. She just followed Kurt into the car, and got by the steering wheel. She knew Kurt was in no position to drive now. They drove in silence to school, and when they reached the McKinley parking lot, they caught eye of Puck who walked out of the truck.

"Now's your chance," Quinn said, squeezing Kurt's hand comfortingly, - "Give him hell. He deserves it."

Kurt took a deep breath before he nodded slowly and got out of the car. Quinn hurried inside the school building, as Kurt walked with determined steps towards Puck.

"Puck!" he yelled, his voice cold as ice.

Puck's head snapped in his direction, a weak grin resting on his features, which disappeared quickly once he saw the look on his boyfriend's face. He knew what this was about, and now he could say buh-bye to the best thing that had ever happened to him. He deserved it, even, he fucked everything up. As he did with everything.

Kurt was standing a few inches away from him, and he let his guard down, now just looking nothing short of heartbroken.

"I know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Puck let out a defeated sigh. "Baby, I'm sorry, it was just a way to express myself. She was having a hard day and…"

"I don't wanna hear excuses!" Kurt exclaimed, roaming his hand through his hair in a defeated manner, - "God, Puck, for how long…?"

"Only that one time, Kurt," Puck said, and the sincerity was evident on his face, Kurt had to give him that. The boy wasn't a liar. That still didn't change much.

"How could you…?" Kurt couldn't finish, and damn it, he wasn't going to cry. Only that he was.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't call me that," Kurt's voice was cold, but it had that light shiver to it that revealed that he would start sobbing any minute.

There was a long break where none of them said anything. Kurt broke that silence: "Maybe you were right…," he said, coldly as ever.

Puck gave him a confused look, and Kurt responded to it: "Maybe you are more like your father, after all. Your irresponsibility shows that off clearly."

Kurt walked off to the car, heading home. He couldn't stay at school any longer. Puck was left, looking much like a ghost. His looks, however, were nothing compared to how he felt. He walked over to his car, and got by the steering wheel, unshed tears blinding his vision. But he wasn't going to cry. Only that he was.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

As Kurt got by the steering wheel, he could hear his phone buzzing, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that. Puck's phone buzzed as well as he drove out of the parking lot. It was from Mike:

"_You should really check today's newspaper!"_

Puck let out a defeated sigh. He didn't care. Probably some football team that had won some match and he really didn't care about that now.

Kurt drove in complete anger, but he didn't cry anymore. Now he was just angry. Angry and betrayed. And where the hell was he gonna go? Going home would just be too fucking depressing. So he decided to head off to the Lima Bean. He and Blaine used to go there a lot when they were still at Dalton. He hadn't really talked to Blaine in a while, which made sense, seeing as they didn't go to the same school. They still stayed in touch through Skype and Facebook though.

He parked his car outside the Lima Bean, and walked inside, ordering a Grande nonfat mocha and sat down by a table that had only one chair. He really didn't feel like getting any company right now.

Right as that thought stroke him, he took a good look at a boy who was seated by another table, all by himself. The boy was tall and slim, wearing a Dalton uniform out of all things. He could have said he was ugly, but that would be an absurd lie.

The boy caught his eye and gave a weak grin. Kurt smiled back weakly, taking a sip of his mocha, his glare never leaving the boy's. The boy let out a weak chuckle, before he got up, brought his coffee, and stalked over to where Kurt was sitting. Kurt looked down. He still didn't feel like getting any company, but at least this boy had noticed him.

"Hey," the boy said, a somewhat cocky tone resting in his voice.

Kurt gave another weak smile. "Hey," he said.

"Mind if I take a seat?" the boy said. His voice revealed he was clearly interested in him. it was almost ridiculous how much this boy sucked at subtleness. He was almost worse than Puck. Almost. _Focus Kurt, don't think about him!_

"Sure," Kurt said, not really thinking. He really didn't want the company, but he figured it would be rude if he refused*.

The boy sat down, and reached out a hand. "Sebastian Smythe," he said.

Kurt tried to give a real smile for once as he shook his hand. "Kurt Hummel."

Sebastian's eyes widened a bit. "Didn't you use to go to Dalton?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes, how did you know?"

"Blaine told me about you." Sebastian leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. His sly smirk was definitely not unattractive.

"Oh…"

"He and I dated for a couple of hours," Sebastian said, his grin widening.

Kurt gave a frown. "Don't give me that look. My relationships usually don't last for more than twenty minutes."

Kurt had to contain himself not to roll his eyes. That sounded an awful lot like someone he knew.

"You're looking a little down?" Sebastian said, and even though his voice didn't contain any form of concern, only curiosity, Kurt was glad someone at least bothered.

He nodded slowly. "Boyfriend troubles?" Sebastian guessed.

"Yes," Kurt said a little surprised.

"Who'd give a pretty little thing like yourself up?"

Kurt blushed, and Sebastian regarded him shamelessly. "However," he said, - "That only allows you to be completely free. Like me."

He gave a light shrug, and this time Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that was pretty much my boyfriend's problem."

He flinched immediately at the fact that he had said 'was'. "How can that be a problem?" Sebastian asked, and Kurt really didn't have time for this. He would have gotten up and left, hadn't Sebastian come up with the following offer:

"But boyfriend troubles…," he said, leaning forward with his arms on the table, almost whispering now, - "I can help out with that. Just meet me at Scandals tonight and we can have a good time."

Kurt swallowed slowly, and during any other circumstances, he would have refused immediately, but as of right now he couldn't even bring himself to care about nearly anything. "Okay," he agreed, - "I'll meet you there."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt headed for Scandals at seven pm that night. He knew he should probably get some rest, seeing as West Side Story had its premiere already tomorrow night, but he didn't care more now than he did that morning. He hadn't spoken to Puck; in fact, he had only tried to keep his thoughts off him.

Puck, however, hadn't. not only was he thinking about what Kurt had said at the parking lot, and how right he had been, but he was most of all thinking about the fact that the best thing that had ever happened to him… he had let that slip through his fingers. The one thing he had promised himself not to fuck up, he had managed to fuck up so badly nothing could ever be repaired again.

Puck didn't really appear like an emotional guy. When he got upset, he usually acted it out through anger. Even now, in the privacy of his home (his mom and Sarah were having dinner at his nana's place), that was the case. He didn't scream this time though, and he didn't feel like punching anything either. He was just plain angry. Or upset or whatever you want to call it. He needed something to take his mind off this entire deal. He had lost Kurt. He had screwed it up with him, just like he had screwed it up with his father and now also probably Beth, seeing as Quinn would hardly let Shelby get away with this. For the second time in Beth's case. And maybe had he deserved all that. He was definitely sure he had deserved all that.

That was when his thoughts went to Mike's message from earlier that day. The newspaper and that stupid match should get his thoughts off everything. He walked over to the kitchen, and found today's newspaper. Sitting down, he looked through it, searching for the match Mike must have been talking about. There was no match. What caught his attention, however, was in the middle of the newspaper, when a large black and white picture of a middle-aged man covered almost the entire page.

Puck didn't know what but something about the man made him uneasy. He didn't look particularly special. He looked quite ordinary actually; he had dark, ruffled hair, he was unshaved, and he was neither thick nor thin. He looked quite ordinary but there was something in his eyes that screamed 'psycho'.

He let his eyes flicker to the article. The headline almost made him fall over, and that was really saying something, because it took a lot for him to black out: 'RAPIST ON THE RUN'.

He felt his throat go dry, and a lump forming. He didn't know if he wanted to throw up or cry or both. He brought his fist to his mouth, biting down in pure anguish, not caring about what kind of mark it would leave. He rapidly read through the rest of the article, and he was sure: It was him. 8 victims. All men. Arrested two years ago.

He folded the newspaper together and threw it across the room, not caring that he broke some of his mother's china in the process, and then he stalked towards the bathroom, leaning over the toilet, starting dry heaving, trying to empty his stomach, but seeing as he had hardly eaten anything that day, not much came up.

He shakily stood up, and that was when he realized: He had to warn Kurt! How stupid was he?

He all but ran into the living room, reaching for his phone, and typing in Kurt's number, listening to the tone, praying to anything or anyone that he would pick up. The tone seemed to go on forever, until Kurt's voicemail came up, and he cursed out loud, leaving the following message:

"Kurt, I need you to call me right now! I know I'm an asshole and I'm sorry, but that's not the point. I need you to call me. It's dead important!"

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt got Puck's message as he was seated in his car on the way to Scandals, and he cursed under his breath. He was probably just going to break up properly or come up with another lousy apology. Angrily, he shut off his phone as it gave another ring, and threw it in the backseat of his car. He couldn't take more of his boyfriend as of right now.

Meanwhile, Puck was in the middle of the realization of how much of a total asshole he really was, and as he called the third time, he realized he wasn't going to get an answer. He contemplated shortly whether he should go to Kurt's place or strip search the town for him, before he realized he could do both. He grabbed his keys and headed for his car, driving off to the Hummel/Hudson household. As he stood on their terrace, having ringed the bell, he texted Mike quickly:

"_Thanks for telling me, man."_

He stood there for two minutes, before realizing that no one was home. Fuck motherfucker fuck shit, this was not gonna be good!

He ran off to his truck again, and as he sat down, his phone rang. Heading out of the driveway, Puck picked up the phone.

"Are you okay, man?" It was Mike.

"No," Puck said, and he knew Mike was shocked at how easy it was for him to abruptly admit that, - "I'm freaking out. Kurt and I, we… We had a fight, and I don't know where he is!"

"Shit…," Mike said. He was a smart boy; he knew Puck had already checked on his house.

"Tell me about it," Puck said angrily, as he continued driving nowhere.

"So what are you gonna do?" Mike asked, and Puck wanted to yell at him and say that this was no time for a chat, but he just couldn't, - "Gonna try and find Kurt or the rapist?"

The rapist? That wasn't a bad idea, actually. Whomever he found first didn't really matter all that much, for as long as he didn't find them together. He shuddered violently at the thought.

"Dude, are you there?"

"Yeah," Puck said, - "I don't know, both?"

"You could find him and go all LAPD on his ass, you know?"

Puck let out a shuddered sigh. "I am not a man of the law enforcement, and there is no police brutality in the world that can compare to what I'm gonna do to that monster once I find him."

His voice was low and threatening, and Puck knew Mike was almost frightened by him at the moment. Under usual circumstances, he would find that flattering. Now, however, were not usual circumstances.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt drove into Scandals' parking lot, and parked his car, leaving his phone in the backseat. He probably wouldn't need it anyway. He locked his car and got out.

As soon as he entered the bar, he caught eyes with Sebastian, who was seated by the bar counter, ordering a couple of drinks. Kurt figured it would be okay to have one. He would probably not be leaving this place in a long while anyway, and if he was, he always had friends to pick him up.

He was pretty careless as of right now. "You are so hot; even I can't believe your boyfriend ever let you go."

Kurt blushed again. "You don't look too bad yourself," he complimented, and Sebastian grinned cockily. Kurt had yet to make up his mind about him, but he didn't really care at the moment. He didn't care about anything at the moment; he just wanted to feel good again.

"And more importantly," Sebastian said, - "I can't believe you let yourself get tied down to one man. Was he really that hot?"

Kurt let out a sigh, and then he nodded. "He was."

Right as his mind drifted to his boyfriend, he thought he caught eyes with something oddly familiar in the crowd of the bar. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked across the room, and quite right; there was someone familiar in the crowd. A man. Quite tall, middle-aged… And by that Kurt went limp. His jaw fell slightly, and he went numb. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible… He was supposed to be in jail. How…?

"I gotta go."

He hadn't even realized he had said the words, but Sebastian looked like he just fell from the moon. "What the…?"

"I'm sorry, I really gotta go," Kurt said, as he all but ran out as fast as his legs could carry him, praying to whatever god he didn't believe him that the man hadn't seen him yet.

Sebastian's eyes flickered to the man in the crowd who apparently had some weird connection with Kurt. The boy shuddered as the man licked his lips seductively, and headed in the same direction Kurt had been heading. Deciding something was wrong, Sebastian got down from the bar chair, putting his leg out, blocking the man's steps, causing him to fall to the ground. He regarded Kurt as he got out of the bar, and muttered a 'sorry' to the man.

The man just cursed under his breath and stalked after Kurt. Sebastian hoped he got away quickly, because something was definitely not right here. Also, the man should really invest more in personal hygiene.

Kurt was heading for his car in panic. He unlocked it, got into the backseat and grabbed his phone. He was not a promoter of violence, but as of right now he wanted to punch himself in the face for having shut it off. He didn't really know who to call… Only that he most definitely did. Right as the phone required his code, he caught eyes of the man, who was stalking out of the bar, heading straight for his truck. He didn't know why, but he quickly got out of the truck, and started running. Thankfully, he was generally faster than the man.

He didn't really know where he could be heading, but he figured inside the bar would be more safe. At least there were people there. He ran inside and found Sebastian.

"There you are! Who the hell was that…?"

"I need to borrow your phone!" Kurt said panicked.

Sebastian frowned. "Why…?"

"Just hand me your phone, please," Kurt begged, close to tears now. This couldn't happen. Not again.

Sebastian quickly reached for his phone and handed it to Kurt. Kurt quickly headed for the bathroom and typed in Puck's number.

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

Puck was driving, still heading for nowhere, without having seen either Kurt or the rapist, when his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, and was about to ignore it, when he decided the better of it. He grabbed it and picked up. "Hello?" he said a little too hectically for anything to be good.

"Puck?" the voice was whispered and panicked, but Puck knew all too well who it belonged to.

"Kurt? Where are you? Are you okay? I tried to call you…"

"I'm okay so far," Kurt said, his voice even more whispered but less panicked, - "Puck, you need to come pick me up. I'm sorry for everything I said…"

"Forget about all that," Puck said firmly, not bothering to mention that he was the one to apologize. That talk could wait. "I'll get you. where are you?"

"S-Scandals…," Kurt said, and he didn't really sound like he wanted to admit that, - "Puck… He is here."

And that was when Puck took a u-turn and took the fastest way he possibly could to Scandals. His heart was beating and the blood was pounding in his ears. "Kurt, listen to me," he said firmly, but the panic was all too evident in his voice, - "Hide somewhere. Isn't there a garage there or something?"

Kurt had no idea why Puck knew that, but he had other things on his mind as of right now. "Yes," he said. He firmly remembered that there had been.

"Hide there," Puck said, - "I think it's pretty dark there, so it would be hard for him to find you. Has he seen you?"

"He's looking for me, actually," Kurt said, holding back a sob, and Puck drove faster.

"Hide there," Puck said, - "And I'll come get you as soon as I possibly can."

"Okay," Kurt whispered, - "Drive carefully."

"Screw that," Puck scoffed. There was a break but no one hung up.

"Kurt?" Puck said, his voice a bit weaker now.

"Yes?"

Puck sighed. "Remember that no matter what happens, I love you."

Kurt was silent, but Puck could hear his rapid breath. "I love you too," he whispered, and he sounded like he meant it.

They hung up, and Puck continued driving as fast as he possibly could.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The garage might have been dark, but that didn't mean no one would find him there. As Kurt had been standing there for five minutes, he could hear rapid steps coming closer. Steps he knew for a fact didn't belong to Puck.

He contemplated running, but he knew there would be no use. All he could do now was fighting him off if he tried anything. Maybe he could keep him off if he fought enough. That was pretty much the only thing he had in mind now: He had to regain his honor and he had to fight back.

Quite right, the man came closer, and he had a sly grin on his features. Kurt felt like throwing up at the sight of him. He was exactly like he remembered him, only even less hygienic. He went for a run past him, but the man grabbed a hold of him and threw him to the ground. He let out a yelp at the realization of what was about to happen.

Truth was, he hadn't really processed it yet. The worst event of his life was about to repeat itself. The man hovered over him and pulled both his wrists above his head. He could actually hold them together with his one hand. Kurt knew it was a bad time to even think, but he wondered if the man remembered him.

As he kicked and fought all he might, he got answer to the question: "Well, well, I see you've gotten feistier since last time."

Kurt let out a sob as the man's lips attacked his neck. He hadn't realized he had started crying until now. The man trailed his hands down his upper body. "I bet you've been waiting for this, huh? I remember how much you loved it last time… How you came all over my hand and how wonderful it was…"

"No…," Kurt whimpered. He felt the man's hand go to his zipper, and right as he just closed his eyes and braced himself for everything that was to come, the weight of the man was suddenly gone. He heard a loud thud beside him and he dared to look up. The man was laying on the ground, and above him stood no one but Noah Puckerman.

His boyfriend (yes, god damn it, this wasn't over) reached out a hand and helped him up. He pulled him into a brief hug that spoke volumes, and when he saw the man was about to get up, he reached for his car keys. "Take those and get in my truck," he commanded, - "Wait for me there, and if I'm not back within fifteen minutes, drive off."

Kurt's eyes widened. "I'm not gonna do that."

Puck didn't have time to argue. "Just get in the truck. I'll be there, okay?"

Kurt ran off to the car as fast as his shaking legs could carry him. Reasonably he knew he shouldn't be worried; Puck was about the same height as the man, but he had more muscle on him than he could ever dream of. But Kurt didn't think reasonably right now.

**PKPKPK**

Seeing as the man was only halfway standing up, it was pretty easy for Puck to knock him to the ground once more. The man got up again rather quickly this time, raised his fist and landed a good punch on Puck's cheekbone.

It wasn't until then Puck's instincts finally took over. This was the man. This was the man who had ruined the life of the one person he loved most in this world. And he didn't deserve anything that was good in this world.

He landed a good punch on the same spot as he'd been hit, and the man took a few stumbled steps backwards. He knew it was girly, but he couldn't help but land a kick in the man's groin. It was too tempting. The man once again fell to the ground and this time he couldn't get up. Puck made sure to land another kick in the same spot just for effect. This man shouldn't be able to get an erection again.

As he landed a few good kicks more, he was sure the man couldn't move properly. "You see," he said, - "That boy over there. That boy you fucking raped… That boy is my boy. And anyone who hurts him in any way, is going to pay. With blood."

"Your boy over there…," the man said weakly, coughing through his words, - "He… He enjoyed it."

He let out a vicious laugh and Puck kicked him so hard in the ribs he could hear them break. "You don't know shit, do you?" he asked. By that he snapped out his phone, and called the police. That wasn't something he did very often.

"Hey. I think I've found a guy you've been looking for," he said, - "Yes…" He looked down at the man. "Hey, shithead. What's your name?"

The man coughed. "I'm not gonna tell you that."

Puck landed another kick to his ribs. "Jason Andrews."

"Jason Andrews," Puck said, - "Yes. Scandals, if you know where that is…? Yes? Good… Noah Puckerman."

He held his breath, wondering if the police recognized his name. Right then a tall and thin guy came along. He looked like he wanted his attention. "Hold on a sec," Puck said to the officer, before he turned to the guy, - "Problem?"

"I saw the whole thing," the boy said reaching out his hand, - "Sebastian Smythe."

"Puck."

"I'll let you go home with Kurt," he said, - "I can witness for you."

Puck decided trusting the boy would be the right decision, and he nodded. "Okay." He turned to his phone. "Sebastian Smythe will witness. He'll be here when you get here. Okay? Cool. No problem."

"Thanks man," Puck said, patting Sebastian's shoulder, - "He won't go anywhere."

He turned to the man. "And if they ask, you are gonna say you ran into a pole. Okay? And if you don't, this day will seem like fucking Christmas Eve and 4th of July combined in the aftermath. Got it?"

The man coughed out a 'yes', and Puck decided that was a good answer. As he walked off to his truck, Sebastian called after him: "Kurt was right about you."

Puck turned to the boy with a frown. "About what?"

"You are really that hot."

Puck rolled his eyes and gave a weak grin. "Of course I am."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt let out a gasp as the door to the truck opened, but he almost cried with relief as Puck climbed in. The larger teen immediately grabbed a hold on the brunette's face and pulled him in for a quick kiss. "Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded, and just clung to his boyfriend for dear life. "I am now," he whispered, - "You saved me."

Puck gave a weak smile, and when they pulled away Kurt took the time to regard his boyfriend. A bruise was forming on his cheek, but other than that he seemed to be in pretty good shape.

"Are you? Okay?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah," he said, - "That Sebastian guy will witness for me if needed, so we can just get out of here any minute."

Kurt pulled Puck in for another embrace. "Can we just stay here for a little while longer?"

Puck let out a chuckle. "Sure, baby."

Little had they known this would be the most faithful night of their lives…

**PKPKPK**

They went back to Puck's place this time, seeing as it was closer. His mom and Sarah still weren't home, and Puck was more than okay with that. They walked into Puck's room, and got on the bed, not bothering to undress. They propped themselves up on their pillows, halfway laying, halfway sitting on the bed. There was a long silence between them, which Puck broke:

"I'm really sorry, you know."

Kurt looked at him with a weak smile. "You're forgiven."

Puck frowned. "Just like that?" he asked, - "That's not something you forgive easily."

Kurt took a deep breath, before letting out a sigh. "You saved my life, Puck," he said, reaching for his boyfriend's hand, interlacing their fingers, - "So yes, it's pretty easy to forgive you."

Puck sighed, and pulled his boyfriend closer. "Are we doing this, then? This relationship?"

Kurt smiled. "I wouldn't want it any other way." There was a break, before Kurt said: "Sorry about the comment I made this morning… You are nothing like your father. You're not irresponsible. The total opposite actually."

"You were right though," Puck commented, - "I should never have kissed Shelby. She had just, and I know this isn't any excuse, she had trouble, and I didn't know how to comfort her. That's that. You gotta believe me, Kurt."

Kurt sighed. "I believe you," he said, - "But please don't do anything like that again."

Puck nodded. "I won't…" There was another break. "You have trust issues with me now, don't you?"

Kurt shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he said, - "You'll make up for those."

Puck let out a chuckle, before he kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. There was a long break, before Puck hesitantly said: "This is gonna sound extremely wrong, but I'm just wondering… How far did he go?"

Kurt shivered a little. "Not too far. He just… What he said was the worst… You know, about me enjoying it and everything. But you came right before he was about to undo my pants."

Puck wrapped both his arms around him and pulled him closer. "Are your stance on sex still the same."

Kurt looked up at his boyfriend with a small smile. "Yes," he nodded, - "Nothing has changed there. I know the difference now."

Puck was relieved at that, but even if that hadn't been the case, he would have been fine with it. and Kurt knew this. Kurt knew this so well.

**PKPK**

The day after was the West Side Story premiere. It wouldn't really have been so terrifying, if they didn't have the entire Glee Club on their heels asking what the hell happened last night. They finally got to spread the entire story, and they were all in shock.

"And here I went being mad at Rachel…," Finn said, feeling guilty about himself. The only person who didn't understand shit of what was happening, was the cheerio who played Tony, whose name no one knew. He was basically just a total diva who expected to get everything on a silver plate either way. Like, even worse than Mercedes at the night of neglect. And worse than Rachel at all times.

"It's okay, guys," Kurt said, - "Now we better get out there and give them all we got."

They all agreed to that.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

Artie was having an after-party when the show was done. They were all getting ready. Kurt watched as Puck pulled off his shirt and stood before him in only his tank. Puck turned towards him with an astounding grin on his face. Why did he have to be so damn hot all the time? "Hey there," he said, as he pulled him in for a kiss followed by an embrace.

"Hey," Kurt whispered, taking in the scent of his boyfriend.

"You killed it out there," Puck complimented.

Kurt chuckled. "So did you. Who'd have known your bad Puerto Rican accent could be such a turn on."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least I tried."

Kurt gave a crooked smile. "That knife wasn't bad either. Is it real?"

Puck gave a frown as if wondering why he was asking, but he shook his head. "No." He pulled it out of his pocket, regarding it, - "But it looks real, don't you think? Think I might keep it so that I one day can freak someone out."

Now it was Kurt's turn to roll his eyes. "How charming of you."

Puck gave another grin. "I try."

He pulled on his normal shirt, leaving it open. "So, you ready to party? I'll make sure you don't drink much tonight."

Kurt gave him a look. "Actually…," he said, - "My parents are still out so we have the house to ourselves…"

Puck knew Kurt was looking for some quality time with him at his place, but there was just something in his boyfriend's eyes that seemed different. Did he know that look? You bet your ass he knew that look. He was the master of that look.

"What are you suggesting here…?"

Kurt grabbed Puck's hand and they headed for the auditorium that was completely empty now. "Make love to me tonight, Noah," Kurt said, with so much sincerity he could master.

For whatever reason Puck felt a chill down his spine at the mention of his first name. "You sure?" he asked, - "I mean… Is it the right time after what happened yesterday with both me and… him, and everything?"

Kurt shrugged. "All I know is that I'm ready," he said, reaching for his boyfriend's hand, - "And that I want this… As cheesy as I know it sounds, our relationship doesn't need any reason. It wasn't even reasonable to begin with."

And Puck is more than content with that explanation as he pulls his boyfriend into a kiss, as he lifts him up. With a squeal Kurt wraps his legs around Puck's torso and deepens the kiss, and at that moment, he knows this will be the night of his life.

**PKPKPKPKPKPK**

They were seated in Puck's car. As Kurt realized what direction they were heading, which wasn't for his place, he asked: "Where are we going?"

"My place," Puck said, - "To get the condom. And to get the lube. And then we're going to your place, and then I'm gonna rock your world."

Kurt let out a chuckle.

They headed for the Puckerman household, and Puck hurried inside to get what they needed. To say he was completely at ease would be a lie. Come to think of it, he didn't think he had ever had sex with anyone he really cared about, let alone loved. He'd better not fuck this up.

He walked out after a couple of minutes and got in the car, pulling his boyfriend in for a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, he pulled out of the driveway. "Let's go."

**PKPKPKPKPKPKPKPK**

As soon as they had locked themselves inside, Puck pulled Kurt in for another make-out session, backing him up against the wall. "God…," he muttered, - "Want you so bad…"

He was already getting extremely turned on and they hadn't gone anywhere yet. Puckasaurus still had it in him!

He started nibbling on his boyfriend's neck, and Kurt let out a moan that was surprisingly much lower than his usual voice, and damn it, if that didn't get Puckzilla in action, he didn't know what did.

"Mmm…," Kurt muttered pointing towards the stairs, - "Bedroom."

Puck pulled away and looked into his boyfriend's eyes. "You're sure about this, right?"

Kurt nodded, biting his lip excitedly. Damn, did he always have to be so hot? His face was flushed, his hair ruffled, and his cheeks matched his lips. He was utter (and inner for that matter) perfection.

By that Puck lifted him up, bridal style, and carried him to his bedroom. Kurt let out a squeal, but he didn't complain.

Puck put his boyfriend gently down on the bed, as he shrugged off his shirt. Kurt started unbuttoning his own, wearing a t-shirt underneath. Puck knew this was gonna be a cruel battle of the layers, but it was rather amusing. Kurt let the t-shirt come off as well, revealing his undershirt.

By that Puck pulled off his tank, and he had to grin at Kurt's amazed facial expression as he was shirtless in front of him. There was nothing he hadn't seen before, but everything became so much more real now.

Puck got into bed in front of his boyfriend, and he reached for the hem of his undershirt. "May I?" he asked, with a grin resting on his features.

Kurt let out a chuckle, and a small nod. The tanned boy rested his hands on Kurt's sides as he slowly lifted up his shirt. He was suddenly going at a much slower pace now, really savoring the moment. He leaned down to kiss on Kurt's neck again, moving closer to his lips as his hands started moving upwards. As his hands reached Kurt's chest, he started teasing his nipples with his fingers. There was something so incredibly amusing about the entire way Kurt's body reacted to his touches. The slow arousal of his nipples was like some ordinary miracle. It was weird; Puck had never thought, or rather felt, like this during sex, let alone during foreplay.

But now, right here with this boy, he just wanted to savor the moment. He never wanted to let it go, or let _him_ go. He just wished that this, right here and now, was how it was meant to be. The two of them. And he wished it could always be like that.

Damn, when did he get so soft?

It was Kurt's little moan that brought him back to life, and action, and he removed the undershirt completely. He let his hands go to Kurt's hair after that, as he roamed his fingers through it, pulling him in for a soft kiss, softly tugging at his hair as his tongue slipped into his mouth.

It was all so fucking perfect.

He started touching him, everywhere. He let his hands go from his collarbone, down his upper body, before he finally reached the hem of his pants. As he did so, he again leaned in for a kiss.

Kurt, on his part, did his best to return the touches. It was so incredibly obvious how much experience Puck had, even though this was his first time with a boy.

As he let his hands go over his boyfriend's tanned body, he couldn't help but take in all the beauty of him. He wrapped his arms around his neck as he felt his hands go to his hips, and further down, using his legs to pull him closer.

Puck grinned against Kurt's lips as he slowly undid the button of his boyfriend's jeans. He then went for his zipper, before he started to; ever so slowly pull off his pants. Kurt shivered at how Puck's fingers traced ever so gently by his legs.

Once Kurt was fully undressed to his underwear, his erection obnoxiously apparent through his underwear, Puck shamelessly stripped out of his pants. To say that his erection was any less apparent would be a vicious lie.

He got back on the bed, bracing himself on top of Kurt. He let his thumb trace his flushed cheek as he asked, concern evident in his voice: "You okay?"

Kurt nodded with a smile. "I'm fantastic," he said. Puck grinned and pulled him in for a kiss, before he went for Kurt's underwear. "Shall I…?"

Kurt gave an encouraging nod, as Puck began slowly pulling down his boxers, licking his lips as Kurt's erected penis came into view. He had to contain himself not to suck him raw right then and there.

Kurt had to keep his eyes focused on the ceiling as his blush became even more apparent on his features. As Puck threw away his boxers, he had to chuckle. Reaching for Kurt's cheek, forcing him to look at him, he whispered: "You're beautiful."

Kurt's entire body relaxed at that comment, and he looked into his boyfriend's eyes, before pulling him in for yet another kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Puck got rid of his own boxers, and Kurt's eyes widened at the size of him.

"See something you like, baby?" Puck asked, as he delivered yet another kiss to his boyfriend's lips. Kurt couldn't even answer as he was too occupied focusing on his boyfriend's erection on his thigh as well as his own.

Puck started trailing little kisses down his boyfriend's neck, touching him gently in the process. He let his lips trail from his neck, down to his nipples, as he took the left one in his mouth and started sucking lightly on it, again feeling it harden.

Kurt let out yet another low moan at this, and he could feel his boyfriend's erection grow almost instantly at that.

Looking back up into the brunette's eyes for assurance that everything was okay, Puck let his hand trail down to his boyfriend's erection, palming it ever so gently. Kurt let out a series of gasps and moans at his touches. As if he wasn't hard enough as it was…

Puck let go of him after a couple of minutes, as he again asked: "You ready?"

Kurt nodded, and licked his lips as his boyfriend reached for the condom. Puck let out a small, low moan as he put it on his throbbing erection. He then reached for the lube and put a healthy amount on his fingers.

He trailed his hand over Kurt's erection once more, before slowly trailing it down for his entrance. Locking his eyes with his boyfriend, he planted a soft kiss to his lips. "Just relax, babe," he whispered, as he pushed the tip of his finger in just slightly, drawing little circles, stretching the best he could.

It was only a dull feeling. Not painful at all, but not entirely pleasant either. When Puck was sure Kurt had adjusted, he pushed his finger in all the way, ever so slowly. Kurt let out a soft gasp. It still wasn't painful, only a bit uncomfortable.

"You okay, baby?" Puck asked, between the kisses he was planting to his neck and jawline.

Kurt just nodded. "One more," he whispered. Even though it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, he was still incredibly turned on, and he wanted this to feel good as soon as possible.

Puck nodded and slowly added another finger. Kurt let out a sharp gasp. Now it was a little painful. He forced himself to relax. "Too much?" Puck asked.

Kurt shook his head. "No… Just need time to… Adjust."

Puck nodded understandingly, now having both his fingers inside his boyfriend. His walls were so tight around him and it felt rather amazing. He wanted to add one more just to stretch him a little more, but he needed to know Kurt was ready. He would always need to know that he was ready.

Kurt eventually gave an encouraging nod, allowing him to add another finger. And so he did. Kurt hissed in pain, and Puck leaned down to again suck on his nipple, distracting him from any pain he had caused. Kurt immediately relaxed, and Puck eventually started palming his erection again, which had gone a bit softer due to the former pain, that was now resting only as a dull ache.

"Tell me when to move, baby…," Puck whispered, his voice enough to make Kurt harden again.

Kurt nodded after a few seconds. "Okay…"

Puck slowly pulled his fingers out, only to push them in, a little more determined than before, but still quite slowly. Kurt relaxed against them. They only felt slightly uncomfortable now, and he knew he could learn to enjoy this rather quickly.

Puck pulled them out again, and pushed in, repeating this gesture a couple of times, increasing his pace a little for every time. And then Kurt let out a gasp that was anything but pained; this was a gasp of pleasure. "Oh my god…"

Puck grinned as he crooked his fingers slightly as he pushed in, causing another pleasured yelp from Kurt. "Oh god… Oh god, Puck… Faster."

He could do that. He was now practically rimming him, and Kurt fucked himself against his fingers. Puck was mesmerized by the sight of his boyfriend, who looked like he was taken straight out of some porn magazine; his round ass filled, his face flushed. He was so fucking perfect.

"Puck… Fuck me… Please…"

Puck swore he could have come right then and there. He slowly pulled out his fingers, grabbed the lube and prepared himself, lining himself up against Kurt's opening.

Only laying there for a while, Puck looked into his boyfriend's eyes. "Hold my hand," he whispered, and Kurt reached for his hand, laying both their hands on his pillow beside his head, - "Squeeze it when it hurts, and tell me if it hurts too badly. Okay?"

Kurt nodded and his heart swelled with love for the man above him. "I love you," he whispered, and Puck leaned down to kiss him passionately. As he didn't pull back, Kurt realized what he was about to. He was about to make the experience as pleasant as possible.

Slowly propped himself against his opening, and pushed only the tip of his cock in. Kurt let out a gasp against his mouth and squeezed his hand slightly. Puck let out a low moan, before asking: "You okay?"

Kurt nodded, and Puck felt his muscles tense around him, until he finally seemed relaxed enough. "Ready?"

Kurt nodded again, and Puck pushed in all the way, his pace ever so slow. Kurt let out a gasp. Now it was entirely painful, but it still didn't hurt too badly. Even though it was painful, the atmosphere absolutely wasn't. Despite everything, he felt safe, protected, and nothing, not a single thing about this, reminded him of his past experiences with these technics.

Puck was trailing kisses along his neck, panting heavily. "Damn baby…," he moaned, stroking his cheek ever so slightly, - "You okay?"

Kurt nodded hesitantly. "Yeah," he said, and Puck felt him relax around him. "Move," Kurt commanded, and Puck grinned.

He could definitely do that.

He began at a slow pace, palming Kurt's erection in the process, letting go when Kurt was hard enough. All Kurt felt now was a dull ache that very soon would turn to some incredible pleasure.

Quite right; as Puck quickened his pace, Kurt let out that familiar pleasant moan, and Puck knew this was the cue that everything was fine. Fucking fantastic, in fact.

Puck's panting became a bit louder, and definitely more heated as his pace quickened, and Kurt didn't even let out coherent words.

"God Noah…," he moaned, and Puck let out a pleasant moan at the mention of his first name, - "Say my name, baby…"

"Oh…, oh god… Noah…"

His pace increased even further, and Kurt's hips buckled upwards. Puck knew those hip moves he pulled off were good for something.

Kurt knew he wouldn't last very long, which was quite suitable, because neither would Puck. A couple of minutes later, Kurt let out a long wail of 'Noah' as he toppled over the edge at Puck's command of 'come for me, baby'. Puck followed suit after, - "Oh god Kurt… So fucking hot…"

They slumped down on the bed, both completely out of breath. Puck immediately pulled Kurt as close as he possibly managed, trailing kisses along his neck, as he tried to regain his breath.

Kurt turned towards him, a teary smile on his features. concerned Puck stroked his cheek. "You okay?"

Kurt nodded a wide smile on his face. "I'm just so happy…," he whispered, his voice was hoarse from screaming.

Puck sighed relieved. "Guess I didn't screw up this, huh?" he said with a shaky laugh.

Kurt gave him a look. "You haven't screwed up anything, Noah," he whispered, and cuddled up against his boyfriend's chest.

They lay like that for a while, neither of them saying much. Rachel and Finn came home about ten minutes later, and Puck broke the silence as he heard what kind of action was going on in Finn's bedroom. With a pained expression he said: "Shall we tell them to keep it down?"

Kurt let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "No," he said, - "Rachel deserves her perfect first time. I know I got mine."

Usually Puck would probably argue and remind him that this hadn't really been his first time, but he decided against it. Kurt had gotten his perfect first time, and for once in his life, Noah Puckerman felt genuinely good about himself.

**PKPKPKPK**

They both took a bath together the morning after, before they went for breakfast. Little did they know that Kurt's demons now almost had completely vanished. His nightmares would become dull, weak and unreal through the next weeks, until they were no more.

Little did they know that they would stay together through the rest of the school year, only breaking up for an hour due to a misunderstanding revolving around their future plans. Little did they know that this break up didn't only result in some real good make up sex, but that the makeup sex came from the most heated angry sex anyone could ever imagine.

They knew, however, that Shelby and Beth would be gone within a couple of weeks, and that Kurt would stand by Puck the whole time, as the only one knowing that his world again was falling apart around him. But he would be alright.

Little did they know that Puck would get a surprising visit from his long-lost father who begged him for rent money. And he would give it to him, just so he would never have to see him again. Little did they know that Puck would fail the exam that he depended on for his way out of Lima.

And they would never know that the real reason why Puck, despite everything, got another go at that test, was because he gave a woman the kick to get the hell out of an abusive relationship. Noah Puckerman might have saved two lives that year.

Little did they know that everything Kurt had worked for that year would fall apart around him as he didn't get into NYADA. But they would be alright. By summer they headed off to California together.

And how everything went there, is another story for another day.

But one thing, I think everyone could keep in mind: Noah Puckerman wasn't stupid. Far from it. He had brains. He just didn't like using them all the time. But the secret, and the reality, was that he did use them all the time.

How else could he have accomplished the change he had gone through since sophomore year as gracefully and naturally as he had done?

And Kurt made sure to remind him of that from time to time.

**A/N: That's it folks! I have several other Glee fanfics coming up, so stay tuned! I hope you liked this one, and I am contemplating making a sequel. Thank you for following this story!**

***got the reference?**


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